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.
Idyllwild Fire Here are some calls the Idyllwild Fire Protection District responded to recently. • Jan. 18 — Medical aid, 3:02 a.m. Lake Ln. • Jan. 18 — Walk-in medical aid, 1:23 p.m. • Jan. 18 — Medical aid, 2:44 p.m. Tollgate Rd. • Jan. 18 — Walk-in medical aid, 3:40 p.m. • Jan. 19…
Jerry Buchanan last week was re-elected president of the Idyllwild Fire Protection District’s commission. He has served in that position since December 2013. Her colleagues also re-elected Commissioner Nancy Layton as treasurer, so she begins her third term. However, commissioners Rhonda Andrewson and Larry Donahoo traded positions. Andrewson is the new vice president and Donahoo…
On April 4, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins issued a Secretarial Memorandum declaring an emergency situation in the forested lands of the U.S. National Forest System. Her intent is to expand timber production on these federal lands. Rollins’ memorandum follows President Donald Trump’s March 1 Executive Order which directed the Secretaries of Agriculture and the…
Editor’s note: Recently, Idyllwild and Pine Cove residents found in their mailboxes a letter addressed to the Idyllwild Community. Although some content was originally sent as a letter to the editor by Idyllwild resident Matthew Carpenter, we decided that this should be treated as a story since two businesses were named and alleged claims needed…
Two traffic collisions, both serious, occurred on the same day on the same highway and only minutes apart. At 12:20 p.m. Wednesday, March 23, Robert Stanislowski, 33, of Hemet, was driving his 1996 Toyota Corolla north on Highway 243 one and a quarter mile north of the intersection with Highway 74. At the same time,…
‘No Party Preference’ is growing choice With less than a month before election day, voter registration for this gubernatorial election year is higher than past years with the state’s highest office on the ballot. However, total registration (as of Sept. 7, 2018) of 19.1 million voters is 300,000 fewer than the 19.4 million voters who…
