Man identified after deadly crash near DHS

A 40-year-old man from New Jersey was killed after crashing on Highway 62 near Desert Hot Springs over the weekend.

The Riverside County Coroner’s Office identified the man as Nikolas Samouhos. Officials said he lived in Ridgefield Park, N.J.

The crash happened Sunday at about 3 p.m. in the westbound lanes of Highway 62, north of Indian Canyon Drive, according to Jody Hagermann with the Riverside County Fire Department.

Officers with the California Highway Patrol said Samouhos was driving a Toyota Tacoma in the right lane, and for unknown reasons he veered into the left lane, striking a Ford F-150. The Tacoma then hit the center median and overturned several times.

Samouhous became trapped in his vehicle and emergency crews rushed him to Desert Regional Medical Center, said Hagermann. He ended up dying from his injuries shortly after 4 p.m., according to the coroner’s office.

The Ford was driven by a Beaumont man and he had four passengers in his truck. None of them were injured in the collision and everyone involved in the crash was wearing a seat belt, officers said in a release.

The CHP had to temporarily close westbound lanes of Highway 62 while firefighters from Riverside County and Palm Springs were on scene.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation. Officers said it’s unknown at this time if alcohol and/or drugs were factors in the collision.

News Channel 3 and CBS Local 2 will have more information as the investigation continues.