BREAKING: HEMET: Seven passengers injured after hit and run collision involving RTA bus
HEMET – Several bus riders sustained minor injuries when an RTA bus was involved in a hit and run accident Tuesday, April 4. Details are still emerging, but the accident happened at the intersection of E. Florida Avenue and S. Harvard Street in Hemet.
Emergency first responders rushed to the scene of the hit and run collision. Robert Carter/Public Safety Incidents photo
The vehicle that fled the scene after the collision was described as a white sedan, possibly a Honda or Toyota, with driver side damage.
No information was immediately available regarding the driver; however, police are following up on leads and witness statements
Emergency first responders were dispatched to the scene of the collision about 2 p.m., after several witnesses and other motorists called 911 to report the hit and run accident.
City of Hemet Fire and Police officials rushed to the scene of the accident. Several ambulances also responded to the scene to assist with evaluating and treating those injured by the collision.
Firefighter/paramedics began treating the injured while police officials investigated the cause of the accident. Numerous bus passengers were evaluated and treated at the scene, with some media outlets reporting there were seven passengers injured in the collision. Several were transported to an area hospital for further evaluation and treatment.
One witness at the scene, who declined to be identified, said she saw a white car run a red light at the intersection just before the car was struck on the driver’s side by the RTA bus.
“The vehicle fish-tailed and took off really fast,” the witness explained.
Two bikes were damaged in the accident. Robert Carter/Public Safety Incidents photo
The impact of the two vehicles caused the bus to make an abrupt stop, which is believed to have been the cause of the injuries sustained by the bus passengers.
Witnesses at the scene said it appeared that the bus was crossing the intersection legally, with a green light.
The collision damaged at least two bicycles that were mounted to the front of the bus. One of the bikes was left in a mangled heap in the roadway after the accident.
Police are investigating the cause of the crash and are seeking information about the white sedan that fled the scene after the accident.
Anyone with information about the collision or who witnessed the hit and run is encouraged to contact Hemet police officials at (951) 765-2400. Callers can remain anonymous.
This is a developing story. Additional information will be updated as it becomes available.
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Robert Carter/Public Safety Incidents photo
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Trevor Montgomery runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News and Anza Valley Outlook and also writes for Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County.
Trevor 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 and breaking his back in an off-duty accident.
During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center and Lake Elsinore Station, along with 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 and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
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.
I would think that the camera on the bus video tape the accident. When the accident happen ?they have camera on the side of the bus