At about 6:25 p.m. Monday, June 25, on Highway 243 near mile marker 19.7 in Poppet Flats, a motorist stopped his vehicle at a dirt shoulder to take photos of the panoramic San Gorgonio Pass below, according to the California Highway Patrol. As the driver walked to the edge of the road, he saw an overturned vehicle in the thick bushes below.
The driver called 911 and CHP responded with Cal Fire to investigate. Upon arrival, CHP and firefighters accessed a damaged green 2010 Toyota FJ Cruiser. After a search of the Toyota and immediate surrounding area, first responders were unable to find any occupants.
CHP requested assistance from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department K-9 unit. Deputies subsequently located the body of Robert Fulton, 63, of Idyllwild, about 200 feet from the vehicle at 9:10 p.m.
CHP officers are investigating the cause of the collision but have yet to determine an exact cause. Drugs and/or alcohol have not been ruled out as a contributing factor(s) in this collision.
At 1:20 a.m. Tuesday, June 26, on Highway 74, 1 mile east of Keen Camp Road, Giovani James, 26, of Perris, was driving a green 1998 Mercury Mystic west on Highway 74. The road curved to the left and the vehicle went off the road onto the shoulder, hit a paddle marker, caught fire and burned completely. There were no injuries and the vehicle was towed to Idyllwild Garage.
At 11:43 a.m. Friday, June 29, Tracy Brown, 49, of San Bernardino, driving a white 1996 Silverado west on Highway 74 east of the Strawberry Creek bridge, allowed his vehicle to drift onto the shoulder where it lost control and overturned. The driver was not injured, and the vehicle was towed to Idyllwild Garage.
At 9:05 a.m. Saturday, June 30, a single-vehicle crash occurred on Highway 243 north of Twin Pines. Kimberly Cooke, 63, of Banning, driving a red 2016 Toyota 4Runner north on Highway 243, allowed her vehicle to drift off the road onto the right shoulder and into the rock mountainside. The driver was transported by American Medical Response to Desert Regional Medical Center with minor injuries. There was damage to the vehicle’s front end and it was towed to Idyllwild Garage.
