On Aug. 9 at 12:40 p.m., Oscar Soria Juarez, 29 of Anaheim, was driving his 2019 Kawasaki Ninja eastbound on Highway 74 west of McGaugh Road. Preliminary investigations show he crossed over the double-yellow line colliding head-on with Donald Leroy VanRiper, 69 of Hemet, who was driving his black 2004 Honda VTX 1300 westbound on Highway 74 with his passenger Diane Haering, 79 of Hemet. Juarez was transported to Riverside University Health Systems Medical Center by AMR with major injuries. Haering was transported by Mercy Air to Riverside University Health Systems Medical Center with major injuries. VanRiper was pronounced deceased at the scene and was transported by the Riverside County Coroner. The Honda was towed by Idyllwild Garage. The owner of the Ninja made arrangements for the bike to be removed from the scene. Alcohol and drugs were not suspected as a contributing factor. The cause of the deadly collision is still under investigation.
Photo by Jenny Kirchner
There were four collisions (including two photos), one resulting in a fatality, on local roads and Highway 74 over the last week and a half, according to California Highway Patrol Public Information Officer Matt Napier.
On Aug. 3 at 7: 35 p.m., Chayton Martone Kenyon, 17 of Idyllwild, was driving his gray 2007 Mazda 3 westbound on Highway 74 just east of Dry Creek at a stated speed of 60-65 mph. Due to his unsafe speed, Kenyon lost control, crossed the double-yellow line and collided with Endellion Ann Murphey Trento, 18 of Idyllwild, driving her gray 2006 Subaru Impreza eastbound on Highway 74 at a stated speed of 35 mph. Trento was transported by AMR to Riverside University Health Systems Medical Center with a suspected broken leg. Kenyon was complaining of pain to his left arm but was not transported. Both vehicles were towed by Idyllwild Garage.
On Aug. 3 at 8:45 p.m., Christie Anne Colbert, 34 of Oceanside, was driving her black 2019 Toyota 4-Runner west on Overlook Drive. According to the California Highway Patrol, Colbert stated she was driving too fast, and due to her unsafe speed, made an unsafe turn and lost control hitting two vehicles parked in a private driveway. One was a silver 2017 Toyota Tundra, the other a white 2009 Toyota Highlander. No one was injured in the incident. Colbert’s vehicle was towed by Idyllwild Garage and the two parked vehicles were left at the scene.
Photo by Jenny Kirchner
On Aug. 3 at 8:10 p.m., Edward Reyes Loredo, 35 of La Quinta, was driving his blue 2011 Honda Civic westbound on Highway 74 just west of Carrizo Road at a stated speed of 45 mph. Brian Steven Torrez, 19 of National City, was driving his black 2005 Saturn Ion eastbound at a stated speed of 35 mph. For unknown reasons, Loredo lost control, crossed the double-yellow line into the eastbound lane colliding head-on with Torrez. Loredo was uninjured. Torrez was transported by AMR to Desert Regional Medical Center for lacerations. Both vehicles were towed by Valley Auto.
The Humber Park trailhead and parking lot, which includes the Devil’s Slide Trail (3E05) and Ernie Maxwell Scenic Trail (3E07), will be inaccessible from the afternoon of Monday, May 16 to Friday, May 20 due to contractors mitigating an infestation of Goldspotted oak borer beetles (GSOB). With windy or rainy weather, this work and the…
Editor’s Note: As winter begins, we resume our series on propane pricing and trends over the upcoming heating season. Each week we’ll interview a local supplier spokesperson about their company’s policies. Next week we’ll begin listing price per gallon and other charges for all companies that serve the Hill and agree to provide pricing information….
On July 9, Gov. Gavin Newsom held a press conference at McClellan Air Force Base in Sacramento about the state’s wildfire preparedness efforts. According to Newsom, there were 628 fires the first week of July in the state of California and 4,112 wildfires from July of last year to July of this year, as of…
Your new or renewed Town Crier Membership comes with a big extra: Thanks to the generosity of Bruce Ross and Eileen Gallo-Ross, each TC new or renewed Membership receives discounts at the Red Kettle restaurant in downtown Idyllwild on up to two meals per day for six months!So, become a Member, if you’re not already,…
During the past week, Idyllwild has seen near-record September rainfall. Since Sept. 1, nearly 2.8 inches of rain has been recorded at the Idyllwild Fire Station and 2.4 inches of rain recorded at the Keenwild Ranger Station in Mountain Center. The 70-year average is .83 inches during September. The maximum is 8.3 inches, which fell…
The Ralph M. Brown Act, which is codified as California Government Code sections 54950-54963, is open-meeting legislation that governs only local public agencies. (State public agencies are governed by separate legislation.)Six presently active local governmental agencies on our Hill are governed by the Brown Act: the Idyllwild, Pine Cove, Fern Valley and Lake Hemet Municipal…
