Officials investigating Lamb Canyon 2-vehicle crash involving inmate transportation bus
Officials are investigating a non-injury traffic collision between a bus carrying county inmates and another vehicle along Highway 79/Lamb Canyon. The Tuesday evening accident, which caused a brief SigAlert, happened on the southbound side of the highway in an unincorporated area, south of Beaumont and north of San Jacinto.
CHP officers, Riverside County Sheriff’s officials and other emergency first responders were dispatched to the 6 p.m. crash. Robert Carter/Public Safety Incident photo
California Highway Patrol officers, Riverside County Sheriff’s officials and other emergency first responders were dispatched to the scene shortly after 6 p.m. after a deputy driving the bus radioed in to emergency dispatchers that they had been involved in the collision.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s inmate transportation bus was transporting female inmates, witnesses at the scene later said.
Sheriff’s officials have not specified how many inmates were on the bus when the collision happened and have not stated how many deputies were supervising the inmates at the time of the crash.
When officials arrived at the scene south of the Lamb Canyon dump road they found the sheriff’s transportation bus and a white Jeep along the shoulder of the highway. Inmates who were being transported when the collision occurred remained secured on the bus.
There were no injuries reported among those on the transport bus, Riverside County Sheriff’s Public Information Officer Deputy Armando Munoz said after the crash.
While CHP investigated the cause of the collision, a brief SigAlert was called to ensure the safety of officials at the scene, according to a CHP incident log.
During the SigAlert, traffic along the heavily-used highway backed up as far as California Avenue, south of Beaumont.
It was not immediately known if the inmates continued to their destinations on the bus involved in the crash or if they were transferred to other sheriff’s vehicles to complete their trip.
CHP’s investigation into the collision 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.