UPDATED: HEMET: 5 injured, 2 juveniles possibly ejected, in solo-vehicle rollover accident

UPDATE/CORRECTION: 11/25/2016 5 p.m.

According to an official press release from Hemet Police Lt. Eric Dickson, only one vehicle was involved in this traffic collision, not two vehicles as was earlier reported. The second vehicle initially believed to be involved in the accident was later determined to be a passing motorist who stopped to assist the victims after the accident.

No further information has been provided or updated regarding the condition of five victims involved in the rollover accident, which is still being investigated by Hemet police officials.

 

UPDATE: 11/25/2016 7:11 a.m.

Hemet police officials re-opened Mountain Avenue at about 7 a.m., after the conclusion of their initial investigation into this accident.

 

HEMET – Five people sustained major injuries, including two juveniles who were believed ejected in an early-morning, two-vehicle, rollover accident Friday, Nov. 25. The accident happened at a sweeping curve in the roadway where Mountain Avenue turns into Ramona Expressway, near N. Soboba Street.

According to a CHP incident log one of the vehicles involved in the collision had been driving at a high rate of speed just prior to the accident. One of the involved vehicles was described as a dark-colored Ford Expedition, the other was described as an Infiniti or Nissan Sentra.

The accident was reported to City of Hemet emergency dispatchers at 1:55 a.m. Hemet police officers and American Medical Response medics arrived at the scene of the accident at 1:59 a.m., four minutes after the call was dispatched. Hemet firefighter/paramedics and other emergency personnel began arriving minutes later.

First arriving emergency responders reported finding a total of five patients, including two juveniles who were believed to have been ejected when the SUV rolled multiple times.

One victim was described as about three years old and a female driver of one of the vehicles was left trapped inside the mangled wreckage of her SUV. Firefighters had to extricate the trapped driver from her vehicle.

All five victims reportedly sustained major traumatic injuries in the collision.

Officers and deputies diverted all traffic away from the accident scene to ensure the safety of medical personnel who had responded to the collision.

A total of four engine companies and one truck company were initially called to the scene. They were assisted by a battalion commander, several AMR ambulances, and an air ambulance.

Two Mercy Air Ambulances were initially requested to the accident scene, however one was cancelled shortly afterwards.

The one air ambulance that did respond to the scene landed on Mountain Avenue west of the accident, between N. Soboba and N. Hemet Streets. When Mercy air left the scene with one of the patients it transported the victim to Riverside University Health System. AMR medics transported the other victims by ground ambulance to RUHS and other local area hospitals.

Hemet police officers are conducting an investigation into the accident and were expected to remain at the scene for several hours.

Alcohol and/or drug intoxication have not been ruled as contributing factors in the collision, pending toxicology reports.

Anyone who witnessed the collision is encouraged to contact Hemet police officials at (951) 765-2400.

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This is a developing story. Additional information will be updated as it becomes available.

 

 

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including the Robert Presley Detention Center, the Southwest Station in Temecula, the Hemet Station, and the Lake Elsinore Station, along with many other locations.