HEMET: Driver critically injured in accident
Firefighters work to extricate a driver from his wrecked car. John Strangis photo
HEMET – A driver sustained critical injuries in a two-vehicle collision Monday, Feb. 20. The accident happened at the intersection of Florida Avenue and Hemet Street in Hemet.
City of Hemet Fire and Police officials were dispatched to the scene of the major-injury crash about 4:00 p.m., after multiple people called 911 to report the wreck. Callers told emergency dispatchers the driver of one of the vehicles was trapped inside his car and had sustained major, traumatic injuries.
When emergency first responders arrived at the scene of the accident they located two vehicles, described as a white Chevrolet pickup and a silver Acura TL sedan.
Firefighters confirmed the driver of the Acura was trapped inside his car and used the “jaws of life” to physically extricate him from his wrecked car.
Officers investigate the cause of the collision. John Strangis photo
While firefighters worked to extricate the victim from his car, officers investigated the cause of the accident.
Based on their preliminary investigation, officers determined the Acura smashed into the pickup while it was stopped at the intersection waiting for the light to change.
After the driver of the Acura was pulled from his damaged car, AMR medics transported him to Hemet Ryan Airport where he was airlifted by Mercy Air medical helicopter to a local trauma center. He was listed in critical condition.
The intersection where the collision occurred was closed while officers conducted their investigation and the damaged vehicles were removed from the roadway.
It is unknown at this time if alcohol or drug intoxication were factors in the collision, pending further investigation and toxicology results.
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John Strangis photo
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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.