HEMET: School employee ejected from golf cart after car smashes into him

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HEMET – A Hemet Unified School District employee was injured this morning when he was struck by a person who ran a red light, Monday, May 22. The 51-year-old custodian was ejected from a Hemet High School Ez-Go golf cart when he was hit by the car while crossing Bulldog Way at the intersection of Stetson Avenue, according to officials.

The injured District employee was identified Michael Delgado. He was transported to Hemet Valley Hospital with “non-life threatening injuries,” California Highway Patrol Public Information Officer Darren Meyer said in a written press release after the accident.

City of Hemet Fire and Police Departments were dispatched to the crash about 6:05 a.m., after several people called 911 to report the injury traffic collision.

While firefighter/paramedics treated Delgado and prepared to have him transported to the hospital, officers investigated the cause of the wreck.

During their investigation, officers determined Delgado was driving a Hemet High School Ez-Go golf cart northbound on Bulldog Way approaching Stetson Avenue when he stopped for a red light at the intersection. Delgado reportedly waited at the south side of the intersection for the traffic light to turn green. When Delgado’s light turned green, he proceeded to legally cross the intersection.

As Delgado was crossing the intersection, William Bucher, a 23-year-old Hemet resident, “was driving a 2016 Ford Focus westbound on Stetson Avenue at approximately 30 mph,” said Meyer.

“As (Bucher) approached the signal light at the intersection of Bulldog Way, the light turned red for westbound Stetson Avenue traffic,” Meyer explained. “Bucher failed to see the red light in front of him (and) failed to stop for the red signal light.

The front of Bucher’s Ford collided with the right side of the golf cart “causing Delgado to be ejected onto the roadway,” said Meyer.

Bucher was not injured in the collision. He reportedly remained at the scene and was cooperating with the officer’s investigation.

Drug and/or alcohol intoxication were ruled out as contributing factors in the incident, according to Meyer.

No further updates have been provided regarding the nature and extent of Delgado’s injuries.

When asked for an update or comment, Hemet Unified School spokesperson Alexandrea Cass responded via e-mail, “We urge the community to obey all traffic laws and ensure they are being vigilant around our schools.”

The cause of the collision is still under investigation.

Anyone with information about this investigation or who witnessed the collision is encouraged to contact CHP officials at (951) 769-2000. Callers can remain anonymous.

 

Contact the writer: [email protected]

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.