UPDATE: MENIFEE: 18-year-old woman fatally hit by 2 cars while crossing busy Hwy. 74 ID’d

UPDATED: Wednesday, 3:30 a.m.

MENIFEE — Officials have identified an 18-year-old Hemet resident who died after she was struck by first one and then another car Tuesday night, Feb. 27. She was struck while crossing busy Hwy. 74 near AM/PM, just east of Menifee Road.

Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner’s officials identified Deena Ledesma as the victim. According to a coroner’s release Ledesma succumbed to her injuries about fifteen minutes after she was hit and she was pronounced deceased at 8:30 p.m.

“Officers arrived on scene within minutes, along with personnel from Cal Fire, and found the subject lying in the roadway,” Riverside Sheriff’s Sergeant Michael Hamilton explained the day after Ledsesma’s tragic death. Although life-saving measures were attempted, the victim died at the scene.

Based on the circumstances, Perris Station’s Traffic Team responded to the scene and assumed the investigation.

During their preliminary investigation Traffic Team members interviewed the two drivers who had struck Ledesma as well as other motorists and witnesses.

Traffic Team members determined two vehicles were driving westbound on Hwy. 74, when the victim entered the roadway “against a red light,” Hamilton explained. “The victim was struck by one vehicle and then another vehicle.”

While the investigation was ongoing, deputies called for the temporary closure of both directions of travel along Hwy. 74, which is one of the main east/west corridors that lead into and out of the San Jacinto Valley. The roadway was reopened at the conclusion of the initial investigation.

Alcohol or drugs do not appear to be contributing factors in the collision, according to Hamilton.

Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact Deputy Smith of the Perris Station’s Traffic Team at (951) 210-1000. Callers can refer to incident file number ME180580122 and can remain anonymous. Citizens may also submit a tip using the Sheriff’s CrimeTips online form.

 

MENIFEE — A young adult was struck and killed while crossing busy highway 74 earlier this evening. The victim was hit near AM/PM east of Menifee Road in Menifee.

Emergency first responders were dispatched to the scene of the vehicle versus pedestrian collision about 8:15 p.m., after receiving reports of the accident. According to 911 callers, the victim was struck by two vehicles.

When officials arrived they found the victim down in the roadway. Medical personnel who checked on the victim determined she had sustained major traumatic injuries and had already succumbed. Paramedics pronounced her deceased at the scene.

Officials have not released the victim’s name, pending further investigation and notification of the victim’s family.

Deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Menifee Police Station and Menifee Crime Watch volunteers are still at the scene investigating the caused of the deadly collision. However, officials have already confirmed that two separate vehicles had struck the victim and both drivers had remained at the scene and were reportedly cooperating with the ongoing investigation.

Drugs and alcohol are not considered to be contributing factors in the crash and according to Riverside Sheriff’s Deputy Vasquez, it is not yet clear if inclement weather was a factor.

Menifee PD’s investigation is ongoing.

This is a developing story that will be updated as additional information becomes available.

Nathan Wilking/Rvcnews.com

 

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.