A man was pronounced dead Friday evening near the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway after police responded to a single-vehicle crash by the parking entrance and found him unresponsive inside his vehicle. He was declared dead at the scene shortly before 6:00 p.m., according to police.
Police responded to a report of a single-vehicle traffic collision near the tramway's parking entrance on October 16, according to KESQ. Officers arrived to find the man unresponsive inside the car, and emergency personnel assessed him at the scene before he was pronounced dead.
The Palm Springs Police Department said the circumstances leading up to the crash, including what caused the collision and whether a medical emergency may have played a role, remain under investigation. The department has withheld the man's identity pending confirmation that his next of kin have been notified.
The crash occurred near the Valley Station, the tramway’s Palm Springs terminal at 1 Tram Way. The attraction, which began operating in 1963, carries visitors from the valley floor to its Mountain Station at 8,516 feet. It is governed by the Mount San Jacinto Winter Park Authority, a public agency and public corporation of California—not by the police department investigating the crash. The tramway’s visitor information identifies the Valley Station’s address and the authority that governs the operation.
Separate Account Describes a Different Crash Near the Airport
A separate report from NBC Palm Springs described a different fatal crash, one that occurred near Palm Springs International Airport rather than the tramway. That account states a man lost control of his vehicle at high speed, crashed through a grassy area, and landed on top of a parked car in Parking Lot B.
According to that report, Palm Springs Police said the airport-area crash happened around 2:18 a.m. The driver, described as the vehicle's sole occupant, was ejected and suffered critical injuries; officers and emergency personnel performed life-saving measures at the scene before he was taken to Desert Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 3:03 a.m.
That report also noted no other injuries and said airport operations were not disrupted by the crash. As with the tramway-area incident, the driver's identity in that account was being withheld until his family could be notified.
Investigation Continues
No cause has been determined for the crash near the tramway, and police have not said whether drugs or alcohol were factors. A medical emergency remains under investigation as a possible contributing factor. The Palm Springs Police Department is asking anyone with information to call (760) 327-1441.
The fatal crash comes amid ongoing tracking of California’s overall traffic deaths. Those statewide figures do not indicate what caused this collision or whether the circumstances resemble other crashes. NHTSA’s fatal-crash data reports totals by state and year.
