EAST HEMET: One killed, one airlifted after rollover accident, ejection
EAST HEMET – One man died and another was airlifted after a two-vehicle, rollover traffic collision, Monday, May 8. The fatal accident happened on the 47000 block of Highway 74 just east of Doe Canyon Road and the San Bernardino Forest Service’s Cranston Station #54, in the unincorporated area of Valle Vista.
Numerous CHP officers rushed to the scene of the deadly wreck. Miguel Shannon/Epicenter News photo
Coroner’s officials later identified the victim as Bernardo Santana-Brito, 52, of Huntington Beach. According to officials, Santana-Brito was pronounced dead about ten minutes after the wreck, at 5:47 p.m.
California Highway Patrol officers and Cal Fire/Riverside County firefighters were dispatched to the accident at 5:36 p.m.
Fifteen firefighters from four engine companies responded to the accident, according to Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Public Information Officer April Newman. They were assisted by a department utility truck.
When they arrived, emergency first responders found two wrecked vehicles and debris strewn across the entire roadway.
One of the vehicles, described as a black, 2003 Honda Pilot, ended up off the roadway in a shallow ravine. The other vehicle, described as a 2001 Toyota Tundra, was in the middle of the roadway and appeared to have overturned, coming to rest on its wheels. Both vehicles sustained major damage.
Officials quickly located one of the drivers, who was later identified as Santana-Brito, in the roadway. He had not been wearing his seat belt when his truck rolled and he was ejected from the truck as it overturned.
A driver, who was not wearing his seat belt, died after he was ejected from his truck on Hwy 74. Miguel Shannon/Epicenter News photo
Santana-Brito sustained major, traumatic injuries when he was ejected from his vehicle. He succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene, California Highway Patrol Officer Darren Meyer explained after the deadly accident.
The driver of the Honda, identified as 62-year-old Phillip Wills, of Idyllwild, was trapped inside the mangled wreckage of his vehicle and firefighters had to use the “Jaws of Life” to safely cut and extricate the injured man from the SUV.
Wills, who was wearing his seat belt when the wreck happened, sustained moderate injuries. He was flown by Mercy Air to Riverside University Health Services Medical Center for further evaluation and treatment.
During their investigation, officers determined Santana-Brito was driving his Toyota westbound on SR-74 when he lost control of the truck.
“For an unknown reason, (Santana-Brito) allowed his vehicle to drift onto the right dirt shoulder,” Meyer explained. “He lost control of his truck then swerved left and re-entered the roadway.”
The truck then slid sideways into the opposing lane, directly into the path of the oncoming Honda, which was being driven in the opposite direction by Wills.
Although Wills reportedly saw Santana-Brito’s vehicle coming towards him and he swerved to the right to avoid hitting the truck, he could not avoid smashing into it.
Both vehicles were heavily damaged in the crash. Miguel Shannon/Epicenter News photo
“The right front of the truck collided with the front of the Honda causing the truck to overturn,” said Meyer. “The man driving the truck was not wearing his seat belt and was ejected.”
Both vehicles were traveling within the posted speed limit at the time of the collision, according to Meyer.
During their investigation, CHP officials called for the temporary closure of Highway 74 in both directions. Officers re-opened the road at the conclusion of their initial investigation and after the destroyed vehicles were towed from the scene.
CHP officials are still investigating the cause of the crash.
Anyone with information related to this investigation or who witnessed the deadly crash is encouraged to contact CHP officials at (951) 769-2000.
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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.