Two people were killed and two others injured when two vehicles collided head-on Friday evening along a dusty, deserted stretch of road in the Antelope Valley, authorities said.
A preliminary investigation found the driver of an Infiniti G35 veered into oncoming traffic on Mount Emma Road in Littlerock, near Palmdale. It then collided with a Honda Pilot SUV traveling in the opposite direction, the California Highway Patrol said in a news release.
The driver and a passenger in the Infiniti, neither of whom were wearing seat belts, were pronounced dead at the scene, the CHP said. Two injured occupants of the SUV were airlifted to a hospital.
The news release didn’t state the condition of the injured people and said it was withholding the identities of the deceased individuals, pending notification of their families.
The CHP said it had collected evidence from the Infiniti that indicates alcohol was a “contributing factor” in the crash, which remains under investigation.
The Highway Patrol urged the public to wear seat belts, not drink and drive and be cautious while traversing remote roads like Mount Emma given “limited sight distances, narrow lanes, and winding terrain.”
