Passenger Killed, Driver Hurt as Moving Van Plunges 400 Feet

A moving van plunged 400 feet over the side of a serpentine stretch of California 74 in Riverside County late Monday, instantly killing a passenger and trapping the critically injured driver for more than 12 hours, authorities said Tuesday.

According to the California Highway Patrol, the 48-foot tractor-trailer, owned by United Van Lines, apparently was traveling too fast as it headed eastbound on the twisting mountain route shortly after 9 p.m. Monday.

The van, which was bound for Texas with a load of household goods, crashed through a guardrail and virtually disintegrated on impact, investigators said.

A CHP helicopter airlifted a trauma team to the crash site, about 25 miles up in the Santa Rosa Mountains, south of Palm Desert.

A second helicopter equipped with an air-to-ground hoisting device was summoned from the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station to secure the truck and prevent it from sliding farther down the canyon while the rescuers worked to free the driver from the wreckage.

The driver, identified as Lloyd Edwards, 38, was flown to Desert Hospital in Palm Springs, where he was listed in critical but stable condition. “It’s amazing this gentleman is alive, and even more amazing that he was awake and alert throughout the course of his extrication” from the wreckage, said Dr. Frank Ercoli, a trauma surgeon who was part of the medical team airlifted to the crash site.

The identity of the other victim was not released.

A spokesman for United Van Lines could not be reached for comment.