MOUNTAIN CENTER, CA (October 25, 2026) Peggy Thomas, a 72-year-old woman from Hemet, died Sunday morning after a motorcycle carrying her struck a deer and overturned along State Route 74 near Mountain Center in Riverside County, according to the California Highway Patrol (CHP).
CHP officials reported that a 2022 Harley-Davidson motorcycle was traveling eastbound on State Route 74, east of Diamico Trail, shortly after 9 a.m. A deer suddenly entered the roadway from the north, prompting the motorcycle’s driver to swerve in an attempt to avoid the animal.
Despite the maneuver, the motorcycle collided with the deer and overturned, throwing Thomas from the vehicle.
Thomas suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the accident scene. The motorcycle’s driver, a 71-year-old Hemet resident, sustained unspecified injuries and was transported by paramedics to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs for treatment.
The circumstances surrounding the fatal collision remain under investigation.
