Two people were seriously injured in a high-speed crash in Joshua Tree Saturday. According to the Officer Jason Kobaly of the California Highway Patrol, Domenic Rowley, 19, a lance corporal attached to 3rd LAR stationed at the Marine Corps Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, was driving his 2014 Hyundai Sonata at a speed that some witnesses estimated to be 100 miles per hour, eastbound on Highway 62. As he entered Joshua Tree about 4:50 p.m., Rowley, for unknown reasons, left the number 1 eastbound lane and turned the Hyundai to cross all westbound lanes of traffic near Outpost Road where he lost control of his car. The Hyundai crashed into the stop sign at Outpost Road and crashed into the curb. The force of the collision tore the front tires off his car; one tire struck the west side of the Hi-Desert Motel. The car crashed into the south wall of the motel before rolling over and coming to rest on its roof in the westbound number 2 lane of Highway 62.
Debris from the building and vehicle struck the front grill and windshield of a 2013 Audi driven by William Lee, 62, of Palm Springs. Rowley’s passenger, Kara Winfree Rowley, 19, also of Twentynine Palms, was trapped inside the car and paramedics had to use the Jaws of Life to free her. Dominic Rowley and Kara Rowley were taken to Desert Hospital in Palm Springs with major injuries. William Lee was not injured in the crash. The highway has a speed limit of 45 miles per hour in that area. Kobaly is asking anyone who witnessed the crash to call the CHP at 760-366-3707.
