A 33-year-old Apple Valley woman was arrested after a two-vehicle crash on Bear Valley Road left four people injured and the driver allegedly fled the scene before deputies tracked her down. The collision happened just before midnight on Thursday, shutting down a stretch of the busy corridor for about five hours while investigators worked the scene.
The crash was reported at about 11:46 p.m. Thursday on Bear Valley Road east of Kiowa Road, according to VVNG. A westbound silver Nissan Sentra collided with a gray Dodge Charger that had entered the roadway from a parking lot at 20920 Bear Valley Road, with the Charger pulling directly into the Sentra's path.
The Charger was being driven by Tina Marie Valdez, who left the scene without providing required information or rendering aid, per the sheriff's statement relayed by the outlet. Deputies later located and arrested Valdez on suspicion of felony hit-and-run involving injury, a suspected violation of California Vehicle Code section 20001(a).
Four Hurt in Crash
All four people involved sustained injuries ranging from minor to severe and were transported to local hospitals for treatment, the report states. Among the victims was a 19-year-old woman; two male passengers, ages 18 and 53, were also injured. All three were described as Apple Valley residents. The specific injuries of those three identified victims were not detailed in the available account.
Investigators with the Major Accident Investigation Team responded and are continuing to investigate, documenting the crash scene, collecting evidence, and interviewing witnesses, the same account notes. The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department reported the crash details in a written statement.
Five-Hour Closure Snarled Traffic
Bear Valley Road's eastbound and westbound lanes, along with Bear Valley Outer Highway south, were closed for approximately five hours between Kiowa Road and Multnomah Road as crews worked the scene. The lengthy shutdown is becoming a familiar pattern for the corridor, which has seen several serious crashes close lanes for hours at a time.
In July, a motorcycle carrying a man and woman collided with a pickup truck on Bear Valley Road west of Iroquois Road, killing the female passenger and critically injuring the male rider, according to a separate VVNG report. That crash closed Bear Valley Road between Itoya Vista Road and Iroquois Road for about four hours. In August, a three-vehicle crash near Bear Valley Road and Mohawk Road sent four people to the hospital, and in December 2024, a multi-vehicle collision near Jess Ranch Parkway injured two more people along the same road, per a VVNG account of the Mohawk Road crash and another detailing the Jess Ranch Parkway incident.
The road has also been the site of a fatal hit-and-run before. In November 2024, a motorcyclist was killed near Iroquois Road on Bear Valley Road, and the driver who struck him remained at large as Bear Valley Road was closed between Kiowa Road and Mockingbird Avenue for that investigation, according to a vvng.com report from that case.
Anyone with information on Thursday's crash is asked to contact the Apple Valley Police Station at (760) 240-7400 or sheriff's dispatch at (760) 956-5001. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call 844-909-3006, text a tip to that number, or submit information through the sheriff's department's online tip portal.
