HEMET: Motorcyclist killed in solo-vehicle accident identified as Hemet resident

HEMET — A Hemet resident died when he lost control of his motorcycle while trying to pass slower moving vehicles, Wednesday, Sept. 27. The fatal accident happened on Warren Road between Esplanade and Cottonwood Avenues in the City of Hemet.

City of Hemet Police and Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner’s officials later identified 48-year-old, Jose Sanchez Jr. as the man killed in the crash. A Coroner’s release indicated Sanchez died just over one hour after the accident. He was pronounced dead by hospital emergency room staff at 1:36 p.m.

City of Hemet Police and Fire officials responded to the traffic collision about 12:25 p.m., after other motorists and witnesses called 911 to report the fatal accident.

When officials arrived at the scene, they located Sanchez and his 2003 Harley Davidson motorcycle off the west roadway edge of Warren Road, about 1100 feet north of Esplanade Avenue.

Officials quickly determined Sanchez had sustained major, traumatic injuries. Paramedics treated the seriously injured rider at the scene before AMR medics transported him to Hemet Valley Medical Center, where he later succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead.

City of Hemet police officers investigated the cause of the solo-vehicle, motorcycle accident. During their investigation, officers determined Sanchez was riding his motorcycle northbound on Warren Road behind two other vehicles just before the deadly accident happened.

When one of the two vehicles ahead of him slowed down to turn into a driveway, “Sanchez attempted to pass the two vehicles on the left by entering the oncoming, south bound lane of traffic,” said Reinbolt.

Evidence gathered at the scene of the accident showed that after attempting to pass the slower moving vehicles, Sanchez “lost control of his motorcycle and began to skid…west toward the roadway edge,” Reinbolt explained. “Sanchez rode off the west roadway edge of Warren Road where his motorcycle fell over, impacting the dirt shoulder.”

The drivers of both vehicles Sanchez attempted to pass remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators, answering their questions and describing what they had witnessed.

During their investigation, officials called for the temporary closure of Warren Road between Esplanade and Cottonwood Avenues. The roadway remained closed for about two hours, until officials concluded their initial investigation.

 

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Trevor Montgomery, who recently moved from Riverside County to Shasta County, runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for Riverside County based newspapers Valley News, The Valley Chronicle and Anza Valley Outlook as well as 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, breaking his back and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries 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.