January 24, 2016 — A fatal head-on collision, according to Desert Hot Springs Police Chief Dale Mondary, resulted in the death of two men and in injuries to two women.
Separately, two married couples were in each of the cars driving in opposite directions when one car drifter into lanes traveling in the opposite direction, killing both husbands in both cars. The wives in each car were hospitalized with serious injuries. The collision occurred just after 7:15 p.m. on North Indian Canyon Drive near 19th Avenue.
The Riverside County Coroner’s Office identified the victims on Tuesday morning as 49-year-old James Scott of Cathedral City and 58-year-old John Tavernier of North Palm Springs.
One couple was on the way home from an area restaurant, driving on Indian Canyon Drive. The other couple’s vehicle:
- Was traveling south when the driver
- For reasons unknown, moved into oncoming traffic
- Collided with the other vehicle and causing the massive crash
The couple in the northbound vehicle was taken to Desert Regional Medical Center where the husband died. His wife is in stable condition, according to police. The wife in the second vehicle was taken to Eisenhower Medical Center and she’s also in stable condition, Mondary said.
The area of the accident, North Indian Canyon, was closed in the area for hours Sunday night while officers investigated the crash.