84-year-old Palm Desert man killed in head-on crash

An 84-year-old Palm Desert man died Monday when his car collided head-on with a heavy-duty pickup truck hauling propane in a rural part of San Bernardino County, officials said.

David Bell was pronounced dead at the scene, according to county coroner's records.

The crash took place about 2:25 p.m. near Lucerne Valley, on Highway 247 just east of Rattlesnake Canyon Road, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Bell was headed south along the highway in a 2024 Toyota Prius just prior to the collisions, officials said. A 2019 Ford F-550 pickup truck carrying canisters of propane was traveling north.

"For reasons still under investigation, the Toyota Prius ... crossed over the painted solid double yellow lines, into the northbound traffic lane, and crashed head-on with the Ford F-550," according to a CHP statement.

Despite wearing a seatbelt, Bell was thrown from the car and onto the roadway, officials said. The pickup truck rolled over and came to rest on a dirt shoulder, CHP logs show.

When firefighters arrived at the scene, they found the Prius engulfed in flames, and multiple propane tanks on the truck had exploded prior to their arrival, according to investigators.

Authorities said the driver of the pickup truck, a 35-year-old Adelanto man, as well as a 52-year-old Apple Valley man who was riding as a passenger, were hospitalized with moderate injuries.