DE LUZ: Woman killed when ejected from car after crashing into tree

DE LUZ – A woman who was ejected from her car after crashing into a tree died Thursday morning, March 23. The deadly, solo-vehicle crash happened in the 43400 block of De Luz Road, between Tierra Linda and Via Vaquero Road, in the unincorporated community of De Luz.

Although a California Highway Patrol official described the accident as a “totally survivable crash,” the victim was not wearing her seat belt when she lost control of her car and she sustained major traumatic injuries when she was ejected from her vehicle.

Emergency first responders rushed to the scene of the fatal, single-vehicle accident just before 10 a.m., Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Public Information Officer Jody Hagemann said in a written release after the deadly crash.

A Riverside County sheriff’s deputy was the first official to arrive at the scene of the crash. He rendered aid to the mortally injured woman and attempted life-saving efforts, but the woman succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The victim’s name has not been released, pending notification of her family.

CHP officials are investigating the cause of the accident. Their preliminary investigation determined the driver of a Mini Cooper was traveling westbound on De Luz Road when for an unknown reason her vehicle began to lose control along a sweeping curve, west of Via Bolero.

The driver over-corrected and her vehicle began to spin causing the car to travel across eastbound lanes of traffic before her passenger side door collided with a tree.

The woman was not wearing a seat belt and was fatally injured when she was ejected from her vehicle, according to officials.

CHP officials are continuing their investigation into the deadly wreck.

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

 

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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.