TEMECULA: Tow driver helping stranded motorist killed by suspected DUI driver

TEMECULA — A tow truck driver who was assisting a disabled motorist on the I-15 in Temecula was struck and killed by a suspected DUI driver, Friday evening, Oct. 20. The deadly, late night crash happened on the southbound shoulder of the freeway at the Temecula Parkway off-ramp.

After the fatal accident California Highway Patrol officials arrested a woman, who was later identified as Danika Lee McGetrick, 19, of Temecula. After an investigation, she was booked into the Cois Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and driving under the influence of alcohol resulting in injury or death. Both are felony charges.

CHP, Cal Fire/Riverside County firefighters and other emergency first responders were dispatched to the scene of the accident about 11:35 p.m., according to an incident report completed by CHP Officer Sandoval.

When they arrived officials determined the tow truck driver, who has only been identified as a 28-year-old, Wildomar resident, had suffered major traumatic injuries when he was struck by McGetrick’s vehicle.

American Medical Response medics rushed the victim to Inland Valley Medical Center where he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead by hospital staff. The victim’s name has not been released, pending notification of his family.

During a subsequent investigation CHP determined the tow operator, who was employed by DJ’s Towing Company, had been dispatched to the location after a disabled motorist contacted AAA for assistance.

When he arrived, the tow truck driver parked in front of the disabled vehicle “approximately five feet west of the solid white line separating the traffic lane from the right shoulder,” said Sandoval.

As he was standing to the left, rear of his vehicle, a 2016 Kia Optima driven by McGetrick, “drove onto the right shoulder, side-swiped the disabled vehicle, struck the tow driver and then struck the left rear of the tow truck,” Sandoval explained. The impact threw the tow operator onto the rear deck of the tow truck.

The disabled motorist and passenger, who officials did not identify, were outside the disabled vehicle when the crash happened and both were uninjured. The two, who witnessed the collision and aftermath, remained at the scene and cooperated with the DUI crash investigation, providing officers with statements, according to Sandoval.

During their investigation, officers determined McGetrick was suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol.

The Temecula Parkway off-ramp was closed for about two hours while officers conducted the crash investigation and the vehicles were removed from the side of the roadway.

An online jail records search revealed McGetrick was released from jail within hours of her arrest, after posting $75,000 bail. She is scheduled to be arraigned at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta, Dec. 15.

CHP’s investigation into the deadly crash is active and ongoing.

Anyone with additional information about this investigation or who witnessed the collision and has not provided officers with a statement is encouraged to immediately contact CHP Officer Sandoval of the CHP’s Temecula area office at (951) 506-2000. Callers can refer to incident file number DR52520 and can remain anonymous.

 

Contact the writer: [email protected]

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.