Ron Pasch, the face of the Idyllwild Transfer Station, was seriously injured in a head-on collision on Highway 74 as he began his drive to work from his home in Valle Vista on the morning of Monday January 5, according to Katie Anderson, an friend and Idyllwild resident who has started a GoFundMe for him.

CHP officer Ricardo Palomera provided the following information about the collision:

On January 5 at approximately 5:05 a.m., CHP officers were dispatched to a crash on State Route 74 near Bee Canyon Truck Trail. A 30 year old male from Perris was driving westbound in a 2025 Kia Telluride with a 34 year-old female passenger from Anza. Ronald Pasch, 60 years old, from Hemet) was driving eastbound in a Nissan Frontier. The driver of the Kia was driving at an unsafe speed for wet highway conditions and hydroplaned into the eastbound lane, colliding head-on with the Frontier.

The driver of the Kia suffered minor injuries. Pasch and the female passenger suffered major injuries. Alcohol/drugs are not suspected to have been a factor in the crash

Pasch was transported to the Riverside University Health System Trauma Center in Moreno Valley, Anderson told the Town Crier. He was on a ventilator until Friday, but his condition has stabilized. Anderson considers herself part of the family, and was present at the birth of Pasch’s first Grandchild on December 11.  She added that Ron’s wife, Sheila, who is a Special Needs Teacher in Hemet Unified School District, was still spending nights in the ICU with him.

The GoFundMe page had raised over $1,800 by press time. Anderson is also planning to set up a table outside the transfer station on Saturday January 17, from 9 a.m. until noon, to accept donations and cards for Ron.

Gofundme.com/f/rally-for-ron-our-friend-in-need.

(This story has been updated to include information from the CHP and the fundraising total.)