One of the victims of a horrific DUI crash in Joshua Tree Sunday evening has died, and four others—including a 1-year-old toddler— remain hospitalized with life-threatening injuries. Angela Matthews, 25, a passenger in a red 2011 Mazda 6 driven by her husband, Christopher Matthews, 28, died at Desert Hospital in Palms Springs at 2:47 p.m. Tuesday afternoon.
Christopher Matthews, a Marine assigned to the Provost Marshall’s Office on board the Twentynine Palms Marine Base, had to be cut out of his car using the Jaws of Life; he is also hospitalized at Desert Hospital with critical injuries. His young daughter, Dakota, remains at Loma Linda Hospital with critical injuries. According to the California Highway Patrol, Jennifer Zapata, 22, of Magna, Utah, is suspected of driving under the influence when her white 2005 Hyundai Sonata crossed the center line and crashed head-on in the Matthews’ eastbound car, west of Arizona Avenue on Highway 62 about 6:45 p.m. Also critically injured in the crash were Zapata and Evelyn Martinez, 20, of West Valley, Utah, a passenger in the Hyundai with Zapata. Jennifer Zapata was arrested for felony driving under the influence causing injury, and will be booked if she survives her injuries.
The Matthews family has set up a fundraising site to help relatives from Georgia travel to California to be with the injured family: http://www.gofundme.com/8cgnks
