Names of two men killed in Apple Valley crash released

APPLE VALLEY, Calif. (VVNG.com) — Authorities have identified the two men who died in a single-vehicle crash on Bear Valley Road here Wednesday morning.

On December 19, 2018, at 1:54 a.m., a blue BMW 328i driven by 26-year-old Mateusz Oktaba was traveling westbound on Bear Valley Road just west of Apple Valley Rd when the crash occurred.

Oktaba and his 31-year-old passenger, Travis Romero, were killed on impact. Police say both men were residents of Apple Valley.

“Investigators determined Oktaba was traveling at a high rate of speed and struck the north curb of Bear Valley Road,” officials said in a press release.

“The collision caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle and the vehicle went into a sideways slide and struck the north curb again, then struck a signal pole at the intersection of Reata Road and Bear Valley Road, knocking it down,” the report said.

After the collision with the signal light pole the vehicle continued and collided into a second signal light pole where the vehicle came to rest on the north/west corner of Bear Valley Road and Reata Road, police confirmed.

Deputies from the Apple Valley Station Major Accident Investigation Team responded to the scene to conduct the investigation.

Westbound Bear Valley Road was closed between Apple Valley Road and Reata Road while deputies investigated the scene.

The cause of the collision is currently under investigation by the Apple Valley Station Major Accident Investigation Team. If you have any information regarding this collision please contact Deputy Cashion, at (760) 240-7400.