King of the Hammers: Man dies in off-road rollover crash on dune near event
A 27-year-old San Jacinto man died after he was ejected from a recreational vehicle when it rolled over while driving on a sand dune at Means Dry Lake in the Johnson Valley northwest of Landers on Saturday.
The King of the Hammers off-road racing event was taking place on Saturday at Means Dry Lake, but the crash did not occur as part of any official race event, California Highway Patrol said.
Christian Karnes was driving a 2022 Polaris RZR, which is a four-wheel drive off-road vehicle, when the crash happened. CHP said in a release that Karnes was descending the steep sand dune when the Polaris rolled over, ejecting both Karnes and a passenger.
Karnes died in the crash while the passenger, 27-year-old Maribel Gonzalez, declined transportation to a hospital after sustaining what CHP said were suspected to be minor injuries. Gonzalez is also a resident of San Jacinto.
Karnes and Gonzalez were not wearing a protective, five-point harness that was installed in the vehicle, CHP said. They also were not properly wearing helmets. The crash is under investigation, but alcohol or drugs are not suspected to have been a factor.
CHP said people should be aware of the dangers of driving such vehicles in the desert.
"Use caution while traversing the open desert as desert foliage, dirt and rocks could cause damage to vehicles. Use seatbelts and helmets properly. Also, adjust seatbelts to rider height and wear properly fitting helmets."
King of the Hammers is a multi-day event consisting of several off-road vehicle desert races that draw thousands of people to a temporary desert settlement called "Hammertown" that is built around the event each year. It’s a grueling mix of slow, technical rock climbing and full-throttle, open desert racing that has surged in popularity since it started in 2007.
More: Indio mechanic takes on grueling high desert race King of the Hammers
Paul Albani-Burgio covers breaking news and the City of Palm Springs. Follow him on Twitter at @albaniburgiop and via email at paul.albani-burgio@desertsun.com. Previous reporting by Christopher Damien is included in this report.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: King of the Hammers: Man dies in off-road rollover crash on dune near event
