MORENO VALLEY - A Moreno Valley man and a Redlands man were killed Thursday morning when their vehicles collided on Redlands Boulevard near the Moreno Valley Equestrian Center.

The crash occurred about 7:45 a.m. just south of Locust Avenue, Moreno Valley police Sgt. Al Campa said.

John H. Anderson, 47, was driving his Jeep Cherokee north on Redlands Boulevard and had moved into the left turn lane to turn onto Locust Avenue, Campa said. Stephen Patrick Morrow, 52, was driving his Lexus sedan south on Redlands Boulevard, he said.
It appears the Lexus was trying to pass a vehicle and hit (its) left front to (the Cherokee's) left front," Campa said.

It was not immediately clear how fast the vehicles were going, but the Lexus was traveling downhill in a curved section of Redlands Boulevard where the posted speed limit is 50 mph, he said. The impact spun the Lexus around so it wound up facing north in the center, left-turn lane, while the Cherokee was pushed off into the far right lane, with the front end smashed in.

A police patrol car happened to be driving down Redlands Boulevard and came upon the scene just after the crash occurred, Campa said. Several doctors, who apparently were commuting between Riverside County Regional Medical Center in Moreno Valley and Loma Linda University Medical Center, also stopped to help, he said.

Despite their efforts, Morrow died at the scene, Campa said. Firefighters had to cut away the roof of the Cherokee to rescue Anderson, who was taken to Riverside County Regional Medical Center where he later died, Campa said.

The drivers were the only occupants of the vehicles, Campa said.

Police closed Redlands Boulevard between Ironwood and Locust avenues until about 5 p.m. so the coroner's office could remove the body of the Lexus driver and so police could conduct the accident investigation and have both vehicles towed.