Update 4:09 p.m. The Sheriff's Department has released a statement about a crash Wednesday in which an Abraham Lincoln Elementary student was injured and airlifted to a hospital.
Palm Desert deputies responded at 9:49 a.m. Oct. 23 to a traffic collision at the intersection of Portola Avenue and Magnesia Falls, Sgt. Dave Adams of the Palm Desert station said. Here's the rest verbatim from Adams:
Responding officers arrived on scene, locating a Chevy Cruze with collision damage within the Abraham Lincoln Elementary School grounds. Members from the Traffic Services Team for the Palm Desert Sheriff's Station responded to the scene and took over this investigation.
The driver of the Chevy Cruze was traveling southbound on Portola Avenue, approaching a red light at the intersection of Magnesia Falls. The driver, an 83-year-old male from Palm Desert, failed to slow down for traffic which was stopped in front of him.
The driver initially struck a compact vehicle and continued through the intersection in the opposing lanes of travel. His vehicle left the roadway, striking a traffic signal, wrought iron perimeter fence to the elementary school, and a child within the school grounds.
The driver and his female passenger were not injured. The student was airlifted to a local hospital for serious, but non-life-threatening injuries.
All traffic east of Portola Avenue was diverted to Rutledge Way for approximately five hours, while law enforcement investigated this incident and work crews cleared the roadway and school grounds of debris. The roadway has been reopened and is currently open.
Although this incident is an ongoing investigation, it does not appear alcohol or drugs were a factor in this collision.
Anyone with more info was urged to call Officer Brad Stone at the Palm Desert station, (760) 836-1600.
Update 11:39 a.m. An 82-year-old driver was involved in a crash Wednesday that injured a 10-year-old boy outside an elementary school in Palm Desert, a sheriff's deputy said.
"He collided with a pole and somehow the boy was injured," Deputy Albert Martinez of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department said in a phone interview.
The driver remained at the scene and as of 11:30 a.m. crash investigators were outside Abraham Lincoln Elementary trying to learn more about what occurred, Martinez said.
The injured boy was airlifted to a local hospital for treatment, Martinez said. It was not clear if the boy was a student at the school.
Posted 11:14 a.m. A 10-year-old boy was struck by a vehicle Wednesday morning outside Abraham Lincoln Elementary School in Palm Desert and he was airlifted by helicopter with "major injuries," a Cal Fire spokeswoman said.
The medical emergency was reported at 9:50 a.m. Oct. 23 at 74100 Rutledge Way, Jody Hagemann of Cal Fire-Riverside County said in a statement.
"Firefighters are on scene of a traffic collision involving an auto vs a pedestrian at the Abraham Lincoln Elementary School," Hagemann said.
"REACH Air Ambulance transported a 10 year old male to an area hospital for treatment of major injuries," Hagemann said in an update posted at 10:40 a.m.
The Sheriff's Department was investigating, Hagemann said.
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