Dennis & Sharon McDougal Killed Desert Center Crash Interstate 10 Freeway

Author, Journalist Involved in Multi-Vehicle Pileup Collision

DESERT CENTER, Calif. (March 27, 2025) — Author Dennis McDougal, 77, and his wife, Sharon McDougal, 76, both died after a four-vehicle crash last Friday on the Interstate 10 Freeway in Desert Center.

The deadly collision occurred around 4 p.m. on March 21st, just east of Red Cloud Mine Road, according to the Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner.

The Memphis, Tennessee couple was involved in a pileup accident in the westbound lanes on the I-10, the report said.

Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department responded to the freeway crash involving four vehicles.

Authorities say the husband and wife avoided the initial crash, but were rear-ended by a driver behind them and severely injured, a family member said on Facebook.

The man and his wife were both airlifted to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs.

Unfortunately, Dennis McDougal died roughly 12 hours later on March 22nd, and his wife died at the hospital on March 24th, the coroner report said.

Investigators are working on the case and will determine liability.

Los Angeles Times Journalist and Author

Dennis McDougal wrote 14 books including biographies, true crime, and Hollywood stories. He also wrote for the Los Angeles Times, the Press Enterprise, and the Long Beach Press-Telegram over his 50-year career.

The couple lived in Tennessee and were driving to Los Angeles at the time of the crash.

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Source: CHP