Two Dead After Crash Involving Sedan and Robertson’s Semi On SR-18 in Lucern Valley
LUCERNE VALLEY, Calif. (VVNG.com) — Two people were killed Monday morning after a traffic collision involving a Robertson’s Transport semi truck and a passenger vehicle in Lucerne Valley.
The crash was reported at about 9:32 a.m. on March 16, 2026, along State Route 18 east of Meridian Road.
The collision involved a red Robertson’s Transport semi truck pulling a tanker trailer and a 2002 Mercury Grand Marquis.
A third vehicle, a Jeep, was also part of the investigation; however, it did not make contact with either of the other two vehicles involved in the crash.
The Mercury Grand Marquis sustained catastrophic damage primarily to the passenger side, with the roof crushed downward after becoming wedged beneath the front portion of the semi truck. The sedan came to rest off the roadway in the dirt shoulder and desert brush alongside the highway.
The Robertson’s Transport semi truck sustained visible damage to the front driver-side portion of the cab. The truck remained partially on the roadway with the tanker trailer extending along the shoulder.
Authorities later confirmed that two occupants inside the Mercury Grand Marquis were pronounced dead at the scene.
California Highway Patrol logs indicated that a heavy-duty tow truck would be needed for the semi truck and a flatbed tow truck for the passenger vehicle.
Authorities requested assistance from the Arrowhead unit to divert traffic from SR-18 toward northbound Camp Rock Road and SR-247 as emergency crews responded.
At about 11:20 a.m., Caltrans crews responded to the area to assist with alternating traffic through the crash scene while the investigation and recovery efforts continued.
The identities of the two people who died have not been released. The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the California Highway Patrol’s Victorville station.
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