Tow Truck Struck - 1 Dead - 02.29.24 - (CA)

[TowForce]

Man who died in crash on Highway 74 near Vista Point identified

 

A 75-year-old man died on Thursday while driving on state Route 74 when he crashed into a tow truck in the oncoming lane. The Riverside County Coroner's office identified him later in the day as Kenneth Macho of San Diego.

Officers responded around 12:30 p.m. Thursday to a report of a traffic collision on Highway 74 near Vista Point, according to the California Highway Patrol.

CHP spokesman David Torres told City News Service that the man and an elderly woman were in a white Subaru Crosstrek going down the mountain when, for reasons still under investigation, they crossed over double solid lines and crashed into a tow truck.

The man driving the Subaru died as a result of the crash, Torres said. The woman in the vehicle with him sustained moderate injuries and the tow truck driver sustained minor injuries. They were both transported to Desert Regional Medical Center.

Both lanes were closed as the vehicles were moved out of the lanes, according to Torres. It was not immediately known how long the closure would remain in place for.

RESOURCE LINK

San Diego Man Killed In SR-74 Crash, Just West Of Palm Desert

 

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — A San Diego man was killed in a crash Thursday afternoon on state Route 74, just west of Palm Desert.

 

Kenneth Macho, 75, died at the scene of the crash that was reported at approximately 12:32 p.m. at the highway's mile marker 88, according to the Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner's Bureau.

 

Macho was driving a Subaru Crosstrek eastbound on SR-74 when, for unknown reasons, he crossed over solid yellow lines and into a westbound Ford tow truck, the California Highway Patrol reported.

 

Macho's female passenger was transported to Desert Regional Medical Center for treatment of moderate injuries. The tow truck driver was sent to the same hospital with minor injuries, according to the CHP.

 

Alcohol and/or drugs do not appear to be crash factors, the agency said.

 

Both sides of SR-74 were closed for about three hours while CHP officers investigated the incident.