JURUPA VALLEY: DUI suspected in head-on crash that seriously injured four
JURUPA VALLEY — Four people were hospitalized in a two-vehicle, head-on accident, Saturday, October 21. The early morning collision happened in the area of Country Village Road and Oak Leaf Way, between Philadelphia Avenue and Highway 60, in Jurupa Valley. Driving under the influence is suspected as a contributing factor in the crash, a sheriff official said after the wreck.
Numerous emergency first responders were dispatched to the scene of the two-vehicle, head-on collision. Loudlabs News photo
Deputies, firefighters and other emergency first responders were dispatched to the scene of the accident at 2:25 a.m., after receiving reports of a major-injury, traffic collision, Riverside Sheriff’s Sergeant Justin Rowan explained in a written press release after the accident.
When officials arrived at the scene, they found the mangled wreckage of two vehicles near the center of the roadway. The vehicles were described as a black Lexus and a silver car that was left unrecognizable after the impact.
Vehicle parts and debris were strewn across both directions of travel on Country Village Road, forcing officials to call for the temporary closure of the road while fire officials worked to free the trapped occupants from the two destroyed sedans.
Fire officials at the scene quickly determined they would need to perform a cut and rescue operation and used the “Jaws of Life” to free the trapped and injured occupants from the two vehicles.
As firefighters freed each of the occupants, American Medical Response medics transported all four to area hospitals “for serious injuries sustained during the collision,” said Rowan.
Four people sustained major injuries in the two car collision. All had to be cut free from the wrecked vehicles. Loudlabs News photo
Based on the severity of the collision, Jurupa Valley Police Department’s Traffic Collision Reconstruction Team responded to the scene and assumed the investigation into the cause of the major-injury crash.
During their preliminary investigation, sheriff’s officials determined one of the two involved vehicles was traveling northbound on Country Village Road when, for an unknown reason, the driver allowed their car to drift into oncoming lanes of traffic, where it collided head-on with a vehicle that had been traveling southbound.
The investigation is active and ongoing, but “alcohol and/or drug impairment appears to be a factor in this collision,” Rowan explained.
Anyone with additional information about this investigation or who witnessed the crash and has not provided a witness statement is encouraged to contact Deputy Petersen at the Jurupa Valley Station at (951) 955-2600. Callers can refer to incident file number JV172940021 and can remain anonymous. Citizens may also submit a tip using the Sheriff’s CrimeTips online form.
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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.
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 27 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 14 grandchildren.