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 Finance Committee of the Idyllwild Fire Protection District has scheduled a special meeting at 2 p.m., Tuesday, April 7, in the district’s conference/training room at the fire station, 24160 Maranatha Drive, Idyllwild. The two main items on the agenda will be discussions of restructuring of the IFPD’s finances and long-term debt and a potential…
During the second of four Saturday bald eagle counts, two adults were seen at Lake Hemet last weekend. A total of 13 bald eagles were seen in the San Bernardino National Forest on Jan. 10 during the count period, four more than the December count. Public volunteers and U.S. Forest Service biologists again saw one…
The April 18 meeting of the Fern Valley Water District (FVWD) Board ofDirectors focused mostly on financial issues and preparation for thenext fiscal year (FY) budget. The third quarter report for the current budget (FY 2023-24) was on theagenda. For the year, expenses exceed revenue by about $835,000, whichis about what the board expected when…
An Oceanside man committed suicide on the Idyllwild Summit Trail in Idyllwild County Park last week. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department was notified at 12:13 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 5, to respond to the suicide of Jastin Pak, 27. Because of confidentiality issues, Public Information Officer Albert Martinez said no details could be given of how…
By Will Steichen, Idyllwild Community Center directorContributed Idyllwild youth were back on the court last week at Idyllwild School. Here’s the update on last week’s games. Division 1: 5- to 9-year-olds The week started with the Warriors facing the Rockets. Ethan Castro, of the Warriors, was able to score big right as the buzzer went…
