Photo by Jack Clark
Two crashes, both on Christmas Day, were reported by the California Highway Patrol on Hill roads over the last week.
At about 11:55 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 25, an unidentified driver was proceeding westbound on Highway 74 in a 1994 brown Toyota Corolla approaching Thomas Mountain Road in Garner Valley when, for unknown reasons, the vehicle veered to the right, crashed into a barbed wire fence and overturned. The driver left the scene before CHP arrived.
At 7:50 p.m., Irene Ayon, 35, of Indio, was driving her 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee northbound on Highway 243 just past Foster Lake Road, when she crossed the double-yellow lines on the highway and collided with a 2011 Toyota Tacoma driven by Karen Crouch, 56, of Idyllwild. The collision caused the Jeep to overturn and injured a passenger in Ayon’s vehicle, Sigfredo Sanchez, 24, of Indio. Sanchez was transported to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs complaining of pain to his chest. No other persons reported injuries or requested transport and no other vehicles were involved in the incident.
Information was provided by CHP Investigative Officer Dan Fitch, San Gorgonio Pass Station.
