Two People Hurt After Car Loses Wheel Downtown Palm Springs

A driver and passenger were injured on Monday afternoon when the wheel of a BMW snapped off, sending the car into several other cars, landing under an SUV.

The accident happened around 1:20 p.m. near the intersection of Palm Canyon Drive and Andreas, according to Palm Springs Spokesperson Rhonda Long.

Officers on the scene told News Channel 3 the BMW lost the wheel attached to a strut while driving down Palm Canyon near Amado. The car kept driving, hit several parked cars and landed under an SUV, shearing the roof off of the BMW.

The BMW was driven by Deovanni Andrews, 23, who suffered minor injuries. His passenger Fred Cooper suffered significant injuries, according to Long, and was transported to Desert Regional Medical Center.

Southbound Palm Canyon at Amado was closed completely and traffic was diverted to Indian Canyon for about an hour while the two were cut out of the wreckage.

Despite many people shopping on Pam Canyon at the time, no one was injured by debris, but four parked cars were damaged and a city light pole was knocked down.

Investigators said it appeared Andrews suffered some kind of medical condition that caused him to lose control of the car and crash into the parked cars. No citations were issued.

Traffic on Palm Canyon Drive was re-opened around 2:30 p.m.

Thanks to News Channel 3 viewers who sent in their pictures of the scene through Newsline 3