Crime & Safety
Bighorn Sheep Euthanized After Being Struck in Palm Desert
CHP officials say the animal was hit Monday evening along Highway 74 by a motorcyclist.
A bighorn sheep was euthanized after it was struck by a motorcycle near Palm Desert, a California Highway Patrol spokesman said Tuesday.
The crash was reported about 6:25 p.m. Monday on eastbound Highway 74 west of Palowet Drive. Sixty-year-old Dennis Hurvitz of Indian Wells was riding a Yamaha motorcycle east on the highway when the sheep got into his path.
The motorcycle struck the sheep, and Hurvitz was thrown from the bike, CHP Officer Mike Radford said.
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The motorcycle slid into the westbound lane and struck a Toyota Camry, driven by 68-year-old Barbara Janelle of Mountain Center. Hurvitz suffered minor injuries, Radford said.
He said the sheep had to be euthanized at the scene by a member of the Bighorn Institute because of the severity of its injuries. Alcohol is not believed to have been a factor in the crash.
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The Palm Desert-based Bighorn Institute does research and education on the wild desert sheep.
– City News Service.
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