HEMET: Car plows head-on into, shears power pole
HEMET — A motorist who plowed head-on into a Hemet power pole walked away uninjured earlier this evening. The wreck, which happened at Menlo Avenue west of State Street, sheared the pole in half and Southern California Edison employees are not expected to finish repairing the pole until tomorrow afternoon.
A driver walked away uninjured after smashing into and shearing a power pole this evening. Timothy Franzese/Public Safety Incidents photo
City of Hemet Police and Fire Departments along with other emergency first responders were dispatched to the scene of the wreck about 6:30 p.m., after the city’s dispatch center was notified regarding the single-vehicle crash.
When officials arrived they found a wrecked sedan, described as a white Toyota Camry, along the side of the road. Half of an Edison power pole was dangling in mid-air and the other half had been sheared off at the base.
The driver was already out of the destroyed vehicle surveying the damage to his vehicle and he appeared uninjured. He was checked out by paramedics and declined further treatment at the scene.
During the investigation officers called for the temporary closure of Menlo Avenue, between Alessandro Avenue and State Street.
SoCal Edison employees responded to the scene of the wreck and determined the impact damaged the pole beyond repair and they estimated they would not be able to completely replace the destroyed pole until Tuesday morning.
Based on the circumstances, officials requested hard barriers to be temporarily erected to steer vehicles away from the area.
The cause of the accident is still under investigation.
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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.