A 49-year-old Hemet man was killed in a head-on crash east of Moreno Valley that was triggered when another motorist illegally attempted to pass a car coming from the opposite direction, authorities said Monday.
The fatality occurred about 7:15 p.m. Sunday on Gilman Springs Road, just east of Alessandro Boulevard, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Officer Darren Meyer said 27-year-old Duc Lam of Santa Ana was in a 2017 BMW 430i going westbound on Gilman when he encountered a slower moving sedan and went around it, allegedly crossing double yellow lines to pass.
Meyer said the victim, whose name was not immediately released, was headed eastbound on Gilman in a Ford Taurus and came upon the BMW coming straight at him.
“The westbound BMW collided head-on into the eastbound Taurus,” the officer said. “The driver of the Taurus suffered fatal injuries as a result of the collision.”
Lam and his passenger, 24-year-old Lina Vo of Monrovia, were seriously hurt and taken to Riverside University Medical Center in Moreno Valley for treatment, according to Meyer.
He said a man at the wheel of a 2011 Honda Accord that was behind the BMW in the westbound lane was hit by debris and suffered minor injuries. That victim was also transported to the Moreno Valley hospital.
Meyer said alcohol and drugs have been ruled out as possible factors in the collision, which remains under investigation.