HEMET: Student airlifted in critical condition after hit by truck in front of school

HEMET – A 16-year-old, West Valley High School student was critically injured when he was struck by a pickup truck while crossing the street towards his school early Friday morning, March 24. The boy was hit near the intersection of Mustang Way and Morgan Hill Road near West Valley High School in Hemet.

Witnesses later told authorities the student was walking south across Mustang Way, toward the high school, and was within the marked cross walk at the intersection when he was struck.

City of Hemet Police and Fire personnel responded to multiple 911 calls reporting the accident about 6:28 a.m., Hemet Police Sergeant Dan Reinbolt said in a written press release after the collision.

When emergency first responders arrived in the area, they located the West Valley High School student, who has not been publicly identified, down in the roadway. He had been struck by a 2002 Dodge Dakota pick-up truck.

“The student was unconscious and suffered severe injuries,” Reinbolt explained.

Based on the severity of the victim’s injuries, medical personnel at the scene requested a life-flight helicopter respond to the location to life-flight the boy to a local trauma center.

The victim was then airlifted from the location by helicopter. He was listed in critical condition.

Hemet police officials conducted a preliminary investigation into the accident.

“The driver of the truck, a 71-year-old Hemet man, remained on scene and cooperated with investigators,” Reinbolt said. “The driver stated he was traveling east on Mustang Way when he collided with the student who was crossing the roadway.”

Due to the time of day and the driver’s general direction of travel, he would have been driving directly towards the rising sun at the time of the collision; however, it has not been determined if sun-glare was a contributing factor in this accident.

“The driver of the truck said he simply did not see the student crossing the road,” according to Reinbolt, who also said, “At this time, it does not appear the driver was under the influence of alcohol or drugs.”

By early evening, friends and family of the victim had set up a gofundme.com account to help pay for the victim’s medical needs.

The Hemet Police Department is asking if you or anyone you know witnessed this collision, or the events leading up to the collision, to contact Hemet Police Department Traffic Division at (951) 765-2400.

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.