MORENO VALLEY: 1 dead, 1 in critical condition after vehicle smashes into tree

MORENO VALLEY – One person has died and another was found unresponsive and determined to have suffered major traumatic injuries after a vehicle they were driving in smashed head-on into a tree April 14. The fatal accident occurred at 9:32 p.m., near the intersection of Manzanita Avenue and Perris Boulevard, in Moreno Valley, according to a sheriff’s official.

Deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Moreno Valley Police Station and other emergency first responders rushed to the scene of the accident.

Deputies, Moreno Valley Fire personnel and AMR arrived within minutes and discovered a single vehicle had collided with a tree, according to Riverside Sheriff’s Sergeant Stens. “The driver and passenger both suffered major injuries and were unresponsive upon arrival,” Stens wrote in a press release about the incident.

11 firefighters from two engine companies and one truck company responded to the fatal traffic accident, according to April Newman, public information officer for CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department.

“The first arriving units reported a single vehicle into a tree requiring extensive extrication for two critical victims,” Newman explained.

After the firefighter’s were able to extricate the two victims, medics treated them both at the scene and then transported them to Riverside University Health System Medical Center.

The passenger, who has not yet been identified pending notification of her family, succumbed to her injuries at the hospital and she was pronounced dead. The driver, who has also not been identified, remains in critical condition at the hospital.

The Moreno Valley Traffic Reconstruction Team responded to the scene and conducted a thorough investigating into the single vehicle accident.

Manzanita Avenue was closed in both directions between Muskeg Way and Shagbark Road for about six hours while this collision was investigated, according to Stens.

“It is currently unknown if alcohol or drugs were a factor in this collision,” Stens said. Toxicology results will determine if alcohol or drugs played a part in this tragic incident.

Anyone with information regarding this incident or anyone that may have witnessed the collision is encouraged to contact the Moreno Valley Police Department Traffic Division at (951) 486-6900. After hours and on weekends the Department may be reached at (951) 776-1099. Callers can refer to incident file number MV16105451 and can remain anonymous.

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