A man who was involved in a head-on collision in Johnson Valley last week has died, according to his family. Alexander Merz, 50, of San Antonio, Texas, was driving a 2018 Nissan Versa northbound on Old Woman Springs Road on Thursday, May 16. Anthony Wilson, 27, of Twentynine Palms, was driving southbound in a 2019 Ford F-150 pick-up truck.
When Wilson attempted to pass southbound traffic near Olivine Road, he crashed head-on into Merz’s car. Firefighters needed the Jaws of Life to extricate Merz from his car, and he was flown by Mercy Air to Desert Hospital in Palm Springs. Merz’s family says he died May 19 from his injuries. Merz was a colonel in the Air Force. He is survived by his wife Tristan, and three children. Officer Jason Kobaly with the California Highway Patrol told Z107.7 News that “the investigating officer will consider all factors and if applicable will recommend all appropriate charges as a result of the investigation.”
