Palm Desert Man Identified in Hwy 74 Crash

A 29-year-old man who died in fiery crash in Palm Desert has been identified.

Joshua Tennis of Palm Desert died at the scene of the two-vehicle collision, which was reported about 1:30 p.m. Monday at Highway 74 and Shadow Mountain Drive, according to coroner's and sheriff's officials.

The coroner's office said that Tennis was killed when "for unknown reasons, [he] swerved into oncoming traffic, and was broadsided by a coupe," adding that the man was wearing a seat belt.

According to the sheriff's department, Tennis' car caught fire in the crash.

"One vehicle was on fire with one person trapped inside of the vehicle," Sheriff's Cpl. Jack Johnson said.  "Firefighters and Paramedics from Cal-Fire responded to the scene, and confirmed that one of the parties was deceased."

Johnson said Tennis was driving a Chevrolet Cobalt south on Highway 74 when he veered into northbound lanes and into the path of a Mercedes-Benz CL500 sedan.

The occupant of the Mercedes was transported to a local hospital with minor injuries.

It was unclear if alcohol or drugs played a role in the crash, which remains under investigation, Johnson said.