JURUPA VALLEY: Man seriously injured when vehicle smashes into light pole, trees
JURUPA VALLEY — Officials are investigating after a motorist was seriously injured and suffered life-threatening injuries in a single-vehicle traffic collision, Friday, Dec. 1.
The early morning, major-injury accident happened when the victim’s vehicle left the eastbound Highway 60 and smashed into a light pole and group of trees along the side of the freeway at the Country Village off-ramp in Jurupa Valley.
When officials arrived they found the mangled wreckage of a BMW partially wrapped around a tree along Highway 60 at the Country Village off-ramp in Jurupa Valley. William Hayes photo
California Highway Patrol officers, Cal Fire/Riverside County firefighters and other emergency first responders were dispatched to the scene about 2:20 a.m., after witnesses called 911 to report the crash.
When officials arrived at the scene they found the mangled wreckage of a newer, white BMW coupe partially wrapped around a large tree.
A metal light pole that had been sheered off at its base was laying on the side of the freeway near the destroyed BMW.
Firefighters quickly determined a Hispanic male adult, who was the sole occupant of the vehicle, was trapped inside the wrecked BMW and would require a cut and rescue operation to free from the car.
Firefighters used the “Jaws of Life” to cut the BMW’s entire roof away so they could access the victim and provide him with medical aid.
Firefighters managed to successfully free the victim about one hour later, just before 3:30 a.m.
After the driver was extricated from the vehicle, AMR medics rushed him by ground ambulance to an area hospital with major, traumatic injuries.
A CHP officer inspects a CA Dept. of Corrections badge the driver of the BMW had in his possession. William Hayes photo
The victim, who was in possession of a California Dept. of Corrections badge indicating he may be a corrections officer, has not yet been publicly identified, pending further investigation.
According to CHP Sgt. Norris, it is not yet known what lane the victim was travelling in just prior to the collision and officers are still working to determine how fast the BMW was going and what caused the vehicle to leave the roadway.
It is not yet known if alcohol and/or drug intoxication were contributing factors in the accident.
Officers from CHP’s Riverside area office are in the early stages of their investigation, which is active and ongoing.
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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.