CORONA: Woman, 72, burned saving 2 grandchildren from burning home after airborne car crashes into it

CORONA — A 72-year-old woman was burned while helping to save her two grandchildren, ages 7 and 8, from a detached guest house fire, early Monday morning, Dec. 18. The guest house was set ablaze after an airborne car smashed into the structure and burst into flames, trapping the three victims inside the burning residence. DUI is suspected as a contributing factor in the crash, according to officials.

The vehicle accident and residential fire happened on the 1000 block of Cleveland Way and Gilbert Avenue in Corona, Corona Police Department Public Information Officer Detective Andy Bryant explained after the incident.

At about 1:57 a.m., City of Corona Police and Fire Departments along with American Medical Response medics responded to a 911 call reporting that a vehicle had slammed into the house.

The 911 caller told emergency dispatchers that after the wreck, the car and house had burst into flames, trapping the elderly woman and two children inside the burning guest house.

When family members who had been sleeping inside the main residence realized their detached guest home had been hit by a car and was burning they rushed to the aid of the woman and two young children, who had been asleep inside the guest home.

Family members attempted to make entry into the structure through the door but found it blocked by “a large piece of furniture that was pushed against the door by the vehicle,” Bryant explained.

Family members eventually managed to rescue the grandmother and two children through a window of the guest home, according to Bryant.

Officials began arriving at the scene just three minutes after the call was dispatched and paramedics immediately began to assess and treat the grandmother and two children for possible injuries while firefighters made an aggressive attack on the fire.

“The woman suffered burn injuries and was taken to a local burn center,” said Bryant. The children were rescued from the burning home safe and were physically uninjured during the traumatic incident.

While firefighters battled the car and house blaze, officers contacted two occupants from the car that smashed into the house.

The 23-year-old, male driver and 22-year-old, female passenger were both were found on the ground outside the destroyed residence. Both had managed to self-extricate from the destroyed car and find their way out of the burning residence, leaving the three occupants trapped inside the burning home.

“The driver of the car was cooperative with officers at the scene,” said Bryant. “He was taken by ambulance to a local trauma center. The passenger in the car was also transported to a local hospital for treatment.” Bryant described the driver’s injuries as serious and the female passenger had complaints of pain.

Firefighters managed to knock down the fire in less than 30 minutes.

Officers investigating the cause of the crash determined that the car was being driven northbound on Gilbert Avenue at a “high rate of speed” when the driver failed to stop at a stop sign at the “T” intersection of Gilbert Avenue and Cleveland Way.

After running the stop sign, the sedan jumped a curb, plowed through a decorative stucco wall near the sidewalk, went airborne and then smashed into the guest home through a large window.

“The car came to rest with the front of the car having impacted the wall adjacent to the headboard of the bed the adult female had been sleeping in,” said Bryant. “The guest house suffered extensive damage and was red-tagged by the Corona Building Department.”

The sedan was a total loss and the burned out and destroyed vehicle was later towed away from the scene.

“Alcohol is suspected to be a factor in this collision,” Bryant explained, continuing, “The investigation is ongoing pending test results.”

Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Corona PD’s Traffic Division at (951) 736-2330, option #2 or email Traffic Sergeant Michael Nielsen.

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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.