HEMET: DUI suspected by both drivers after two killed when speeding sedan smashes into truck

HEMET — Two people died in a suspected DUI-related collision when a speeding sedan that was reportedly traveling over 100 mph in a residential neighborhood failed to slow or stop for a posted stop sign at an intersection and plowed into a pickup truck Thursday morning, Nov. 23. The deadly, early morning wreck happened at the intersection of S. Buena Vista Street and E. Whittier Avenue in Hemet.

Officials believe both drivers were possibly driving while impaired and under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs when the fatal accident happened.

City of Hemet Police and Fire officials and other emergency first responders rushed to the scene of the accident just before 2 a.m., after numerous nearby homeowners called 911 to report hearing the crash that killed a male driver and female passenger in a speeding Volkswagen.

When officials arrived at the scene, they located two destroyed vehicles; including a silver, Volkswagen sedan that was wrapped around a tree just west of the intersection and a white, Dodge pickup truck that had crashed through a brick and wrought iron fence in front of a residence at the intersection.

The high-speed impact also launched vehicle parts, debris and personal items several hundred feet west and north of the intersection.

Firefighter/paramedics determined two people who had been inside the speeding sedan succumbed to their injuries and were pronounced dead at the scene.

Neither has been publicly identified, pending notification of their families.

A female passenger in the truck was also injured and she was later transported to an area hospital. Her condition was unknown; however, she is expected to survive and recover from her injuries, according to Hemet Police Lieutenant Dickson.

Evidence at the scene indicated that despite the posted 35 mph speed limit, the Volkswagen was traveling westbound on E. Whittier Avenue between 90 and 100 mph and the pickup truck was travelling northbound on S. Buena Vista Avenue at an unknown speed just before the accident happened.

One area resident who said he lived nearby and declined to be identified said after hearing the crash, he came out of his home to attempt to render aid to the four victims.

The man said he was inside his residence about five houses away from the intersection when he heard the tremendous, early morning wreck and heard people screaming for help.

According to the man, no sounds of braking or tires screeching preceded the fatal impact.

When the witness arrived at the scene of the deadly crash, he saw two deceased people in and near the Volkswagen. The male driver was hanging – half inside and half out of the destroyed sedan and his female passenger was on the ground near the wrecked Volkswagen and had possibly been ejected from the vehicle. Police tarps were used to cover both victim’s bodies while officials continued their investigation and Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner officials were responding to the scene.

It was not immediately known if either deceased victims were wearing seat belts at the time of the collision.

While officials investigated the cause of the collision, the driver of the truck that the sedan struck was interviewed about the wreck and was later given a series of field sobriety tests to determine his level of intoxication.

The result of those sobriety tests was not immediately available; however the surviving driver of the truck was believed to have been under the influence, according to officials.

“At this time it is believed that alcohol may have been a factor with the Volkswagen and that the driver of the Dodge may have been impaired as well,” Dickson explained. “However, the investigation is ongoing.”

Anyone with information about this investigation or who witnessed the deadly collision is encouraged to contact Hemet PD at (951) 765-2400. Callers can remain anonymous.

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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.