DHS man identified after deadly head-on crash
A Desert Hot Springs man who was killed in a fiery, head- on crash in March was publicly named by county coroners on Thursday.
David Garcia Jr., 32, died on March 29 when his car drifted into oncoming traffic and slammed into another car, causing both vehicles to catch on fire and hospitalizing the other driver. The crash occurred at 3:35 a.m. on the Ramona Expressway, east of Hansen Avenue in Nuevo, said California Highway Patrol Officer Travis Monks.
Garcia’s 2000 Toyota Camry was heading east on the Ramona Expressway, when for unknown reasons, he drifted into the westbound lanes and directly into the path of a 2006 Dodge Durango.
The Durango driver, Elisa Armendariz, 35, of Hemet, “had no chance to stop,” Monks said. Garcia died at the scene, while Armendariz was hospitalized with moderate injuries.