SAN JACINTO: Mother, 6-week-old infant and on-duty deputy hospitalized after collision

SAN JACINTO — A mother was injured and her infant son is in intensive care after an accident between a San Jacinto PD patrol SUV and a sedan, Wednesday, Dec. 6.

A deputy was also injured in the multiple-injury, traffic accident, which happened near the intersection of N. Brinton and S. State Streets in San Jacinto.

At least one witness to the collision later wrote on social media that the deputy involved in the collision had possibly been trying to catch up with a speeding motorcyclist that was possibly trying to elude the deputy.

In spite of the witness’ observation, it was not officially known if the deputy was traveling with the unit’s lights and sirens activated, or if the deputy was in fact trying to catch up with or in pursuit of another vehicle, was responding to an emergency call for service or was on routine patrol when the accident occurred.

Those facts will be determined as part of CHP’s investigation into the cause of the collision.

California Highway Patrol officers, deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff’s San Jacinto Police Station and Cal Fire/Riverside County firefighters responded to the scene of the wreck about 1:46 p.m., after emergency dispatchers were notified regarding the collision.

When officials arrived they found the wrecks of two heavily damaged vehicles, including a marked, black and white, San Jacinto PD patrol SUV and a newer, white Chevy Malibu.

The patrol vehicle sustained major, front-end damage when it struck the Chevy broadside and the Chevy sustained heavy, passenger side damage. Both vehicles were later towed from the scene.

Firefighters evaluated those injured in the collision, including the deputy and three others. All four, including the 6-week-old infant, were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, Riverside County Sheriff’s spokesperson Deputy Mike Vasquez explained in response to a request for information about the accident.

“One deputy and three citizens were transported to local area hospitals for treatment,” said Vasquez.

No information was immediately available regarding the third victim injured in the collision and there were no updates regarding the mother’s or deputy’s injuries.

However; as of Thursday evening, the infant remained hospitalized in pediatric intensive care at Loma Linda Hospital. The full nature and extent of the child’s injuries were not known.

Hemet resident, Yvette Amezola later explained what she had seen in a social media post, writing, “I think he was chasing a motorcycle!!i was turning left on De Anza onto state st and the motorcycle almost hit me it was flyingggg!!!thats wen I seen the cop trying to chase him and BOOM he ran the light trying to get the motorcycle and hit the white car!!i seen the whole thing 😩 it was really scary!!!”

Later, in response to a question about whether or not the patrol vehicle had its emergency lights activated, Amezola responded they had been on.

On another social media post, Billy Davis, also of Hemet, described what he had seen, explaining in part, “I was taking my friend home from grocery store when we crossed the intersection, the white car was going the opposite way then bang, T-Boned by San Jacinto Police.”

CHP’s investigation into the cause of the collision is active and ongoing and officials have not yet released details related to their preliminary investigation.

 

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.