POPPET FLATS: Driver seriously injured in rollover traffic accident

POPPET FLATS – A motorist was seriously injured in a single-vehicle rollover traffic accident Tuesday, Jan. 31. The wreck happened on Highway 243 at Poppet Flats Road in the unincorporated community of Poppet Flats, south of Banning and north of Idyllwild.

California Highway Patrol officers, Riverside County firefighters, and other emergency first responders rushed to the scene of the accident about 8:49 a.m., after another driver called 911 to report the rollover accident.

Northbound aerial view of Highway 243 and Poppet Flats Road.

Eight firefighters from two engine companies responded to the reported crash, according to Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire spokeswoman Tawny Castro. They were assisted by American Medical Response medics.

When they arrived, firefighters and CHP officers found the victim trapped inside their wrecked vehicle. The vehicle was so badly damaged firefighters had to extricate the victim from the mangled wreckage of the vehicle.

Firefighters at the scene spent more than an hour extricating the victim from the vehicle.

Based on the severity of the victim’s injuries, officials at the scene requested a Mercy Air Ambulance to respond to the location to life-flight the person, who sustained major injuries according to Castro.

After the victim was extricated from the vehicle shortly after 10 a.m., the person was airlifted to an area hospital for further evaluation and treatment. Officials have not provided any updates regarding the nature or extent of the victim’s injuries.

CHP officers are investigating the cause of the accident.

 

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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.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, Personnel and Background Investigations and he finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator.

Trevor has been married for more than 26 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and has 13 children and 12 – soon to be 13 – grandchildren.