Yucca Valley woman dies after vehicle plunges down mountainside near HWY 243
PINE COVE, Calif. (KESQ) - A 71-year-old woman was killed when her SUV plunged down a mountainside near Pine Cove, authorities said today.
Cheryl Brault of Yucca Valley was fatally injured at about 5 p.m. Monday along Mount Edna Road, just west of Highway 243, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Officer Jonathan Torres said a motorist traveling along the narrow two-lane corridor spotted Brault's 1998 Grand Jeep Cherokee "over the mountainside" roughly an hour after the crash and alerted the CHP.
Riverside County Fire Department personnel were sent to the location and found Brault dead at the wheel.
"It is unknown at this time what events transpired that led to the crash,'' Torres said. "It is also unknown at this time whether alcohol or drugs were contributing factors.''
It was unclear where the victim may have been going when the SUV went over the side.
Anyone with information about the crash was asked to contact the CHP's San Gorgonio office at 951-846-5300.
