TEMECULA: One dead after vehicle plunges 100 feet down embankment

TEMECULA — One person was killed and another injured after their vehicle went 100 feet down an embankment Sunday morning. The fatal accident happened in the area of Camino Estribo and Camino Porto, in an unincorporated area west of Temecula. No other vehicles were involved in the crash, according to officials.

California Highway Patrol, Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire and other emergency first responders were dispatched to the accident just after 8:30 a.m., after one of the vehicle’s occupants managed to climb back up the embankment and flag down a passing vehicle.

After receiving the 911 call, eleven firefighters from two engine companies and one truck company responded to the scene of the accident, Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire spokesperson Jody Hagemann explained after the deadly crash.

When officials arrived at the scene they found the person who had found their way back up to the road. The victim, who sustained minor injuries in the crash, directed rescuers to the wrecked vehicle – which officials found about 100 feet down the embankment.

Firefighter/paramedics hiked down to the vehicle, at which time they determined the victim had succumbed to their injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene. The victim’s name has not been released, pending further investigation and notification of the person’s family.

The other victim was evaluated and treated at the scene, but declined further medical treatment.

The vehicle was later pulled back onto the roadway by a wrecker and towed from the scene.

CHP has not yet released any information regarding the crash or their investigation, which is active and ongoing.

 

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.