March 10, 2010 – Three people were killed Tuesday evening, including a father and daughter, during a head-on collision east of Hemet.
Donald Graves, 30, of Hemet, was driving his Chevy Malibu eastbound on Florida Avenue, just east of Warren Road, at 5 p.m. when the car drifted into the opposite lane striking a Honda Accord, California Highway Patrol spokesman Chris Blondon said.
The crash killed the other driver, Andrew Huizar, 20, of Apple Valley, who died at the scene.
Graves’ 3-year-old daughter, Dakota Graves, was in a backward facing car seat in the Malibu and was severely injured in the crash. She was taken to Hemet Valley Medical Center where she died from her injuries shortly after 6 p.m., Blondon said.
Graves had just come from his mother’s home in Riverside when he picked up his daughter in Hemet right before the crash, Blondon said. He was not wearing his seatbelt but was not ejected.
Authorities are still unsure what caused the crash, but described it as an unsafe turning maneuver by Graves on the straight stretch of Highway 74. Both cars are estimated to have traveling about 55 mph.
The Honda showed slight signs of skidmarks and turning, but hit directly head-on with the Malibu, Blondon said. There were no signs of intoxication of either driver.
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