Crime & Safety
Cal Fire: Passers-by Pull Man From Burning Truck in Desert Hot Springs
Riverside County Fire Department officials say the man suffered burns to 40 percent of his body.
Passers-by pulled a man from a burning pickup truck in critical condition after a head-on collision in Desert Hot Springs, authorities said Wednesday.
The wreck on Mountain View Road, north of Dillon Road, occurred shortly after 11:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Felipe Echeverria, 45, of Desert Hot Springs, was driving a Dodge Dakota pickup truck north on Mountain View and "unsafely" passing another vehicle when his truck collided with a southbound Chevrolet S10, driven by 53-year-old Robert Rodriguez of Covina, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Mike Radford.
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Rodriguez was trapped in his burning truck and pulled out by passers-by before firefighters arrived. He suffered critical burns on 40 percent of his body and was airlifted to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton, according to Radford and the Riverside County Fire Department.
Echeverria sustained minor injuries and was taken to Desert Regional Medical Center. Alcohol and/or drugs didn't appear to be a factor, Radford said.
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– City News Service.
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