Deadly motorcycle crash creates change at Palm Desert apartment complex

Since 1973, an oleander hedge created a border between Highway 74 and the Indian Creek Villas in Palm Desert.

Property manager Samuel Hinds said the hedge helps filter out some of the noise from the highway’s fast-moving traffic.

“For the residents, it keeps the noise down,” said Hinds.

However, neighbors said the overgrown bushes create a safety hazard for people driving on Bursera Road where 26-year-old motorcyclist Uriel Garcia died last Friday morning. He had just left his home at the Indian Creek Villas and rode out on to Highway 74 when a truck hit him.

“They have created a blind spot over the years and they still do. It cuts the noise, but it is very difficult to see,” said Sally Stewart, of Palm Desert. “In this case it blocked the view of the car and so someone lost their life.”

The City of Palm Desert said the property owner is responsible for maintaining the land and the landscaping and because of the location of the hedge, the city will issue a permit only if workers need to take up some of the highway to work.

Hinds said he gets the bushes trimmed once year and after we contacted him, he made sure his landscapers got to work Tuesday morning.

“I’m going to trim them back on both edges, the 10 to 15 feet that stick out more than the others so no one else will have an accident.”

Hinds doesn’t plan on removing the oleanders, but he says he’ll keep them shorter to help keep people safe.

“I just hope it never happens to anybody else. It affects everyone that lives here,” said Stewart.