Man Behind Bars For Allegedly Hitting Woman With Vehicle in Palm Springs

PALM SPRINGS (CNS) – A 57-year-old woman is in the hospital with life- threatening injuries Thursday and a 59-year-old man is behind bars for allegedly hitting her with his vehicle while driving under the influence in Palm Springs.

Mark Gerard Blanchette of Palm Springs was arrested Wednesday night on suspicion of driving under the influence, according to the Palm Springs Police Department.

Police said that shortly before 8:30 p.m. the same night, officers responded to the intersection of Tahquitz Canyon and Sunrise Way to a report of a traffic collision involving a vehicle and a pedestrian.

When officers arrived, they found an unresponsive woman in the roadway who was subsequently taken to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to police. She remained at the hospital in critical condition Thursday.

Blanchette, the driver of the vehicle, "was contacted at the scene and displayed objective symptoms of being under the influence," police alleged.

He was booked into the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning, where he remained held on $50,000 bail.

The collision was under investigation and anyone with information was asked to call the police department’s traffic division at 760-323-8125 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 760-347-7867 (STOP).

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