3 Traffic Accidents Within Hours Leave 6 Dead in High Desert

Six people died Wednesday night in three San Bernardino County traffic accidents that took place within two hours, authorities said.

The spate of fatal crashes had authorities scrambling to respond.

Details were sketchy late Wednesday, and none of the names of the victims were released.

The first accident took place just before 6 p.m. about 28 miles west of Barstow on California 58 near Kramer Junction, according to CHP Officer Curtis Higgins.

A tractor-trailer rig and a car collided, leaving one person dead, he said. It was unclear whether the person who was killed was in the truck or the sedan.

About five minutes later on California 18 between Lucerne Valley and Apple Valley, three people died in a two-vehicle collision, Higgins said, adding that there was no other information available.

Just after 8 p.m., two people died in a single-vehicle crash 16 miles southwest of Baker on Interstate 15, Higgins said.

It appeared that the driver may have lost control of the car in that accident, he said.

The three accidents occurred 80 to 100 miles apart in a “kind of triangle,” the officer said.

There was nothing suggesting that common road or weather conditions were factors, Higgins said.

“This is unusual,” he said. “It’s kind of a nice evening out. I can’t say it’s weather-related.”