Driver ejected from SUV dies on scene of Palm Springs crash

A motorist was killed early Sunday when he was ejected from his Ford Explorer as it rolled over and crashed near the windmills north of Palm Springs, the California Highway Patrol reported.

The driver was identified as 22-year-old Robert Basilio from Coachella.

He was pronounced dead at the scene of the wreck, which was reported at 1:49 a.m. on Dillon Road, west of North Indian Canyon Drive, CHP Officer Mitchell Byrd said.

The driver’s SUV, headed east on Dillon Road., drifted to the right. He then jerked the steering wheel hard toward the left, causing it to flip several times, Byrd said.

Basilio was ejected onto one side of the road, the SUV came to a rest on the opposite side.

No one else was inside, and Byrd said the driver had not worn a seat belt.