LA QUINTA: 66-year-old man killed in fiery wreck identified
LA QUINTA — A 66-year-old, Perris resident died in a fiery car crash that started a vegetation fire July 8. The fatal accident happened on Avenue 62 west of Monroe Street in La Quinta.
Emergency first responders were dispatched to the scene of the fiery wreck at 3:31 p.m., after the crash and fire were reported to Riverside County emergency dispatchers.
Eleven firefighters from three engine companies responded to the scene, according to Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Public Information Officer April Newman. They were assisted by a water tender in knocking down the vehicle blaze.
“The first arriving engine company reported a single vehicle into a fence, fully involved in fire, Newman explained. “The fire extended into the vegetation, causing a vegetation fire.”
After knocking down the vehicle and vegetation fire, officials discovered the body of a man inside the burned and destroyed vehicle. Newman later confirmed the discovery of the victim, saying, “The collision resulted in one fatality.”
Family members of the man who died in the fiery wreck later identified Robert Zendejas as the person who was killed in the crash.
Riverside County Sheriff’s officials are investigating the cause of the fatal collision. Their investigation is active and ongoing.
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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.
s 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.