RIVERSIDE: Officials investigating after vehicle goes airborne, crashes upside down on golf course
RIVERSIDE — Officials are investigating a single-vehicle, traffic accident after a vehicle smashed into a concrete light pole and through the perimeter fence of a golf course before going airborne and crashing – upside down – at the entrance of a golf cart tunnel that runs under Van Buren Avenue, early Saturday morning, Dec. 2.
When officials arrived at the scene, they found a Lexus that had gone airborne before crashing upside down on a golf course in Riverside. William Hayes photo
Riverside Police and Fire personnel and other emergency first responders were dispatched to the Van Buren Golf Center near the intersection of Van Buren Boulevard and Central Avenue in Riverside, after witnesses called 911 to report the 1:30 a.m., rollover crash.
When first responders arrived they located a silver, Lexus sedan upside down and on its roof. A Riverside PD officer was first to arrive at the scene and helped the adult, male driver climb out of the overturned vehicle.
The driver, who has not been publicly named, was transported to a local hospital to be evaluated and treated for a head injury described by officials as non-life-threatening. The driver was released from the hospital several hours later.
During a subsequent investigation, officers determined the driver had been travelling northbound on Van Buren Boulevard when, for an unknown reason, he lost control and crashed into a light pole, shearing it off at its base, before crashing through a perimeter fence surrounding the golf course. The Lexus then launched off an embankment and landed on its roof along a golf cart path, just outside a tunnel that crosses underneath Van Buren Boulevard.
The car was later pulled off the golf course and towed from the scene.
Officials have not ruled out alcohol and/or drug intoxication as possible contributing factors in the crash and their investigation 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.