LAKEVIEW: Woman, 29, killed on Ramona Expressway after hitting dairy hauler ID’d

UPDATED: Sunday, Mar. 18, 9 p.m.

LAKEVIEW — Official have identified a woman who died after crashing into the back of a dairy-hauling big-rig early Friday morning. The fatal accident happened on eastbound Ramona Expressway just west of Bridge Street in the unincorporated community of Lakeview.

Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner’s officials identified Amanda Guzman, 29, of Nuevo, as the driver of the Toyota Prius that slammed into the back of the tractor-trailer.

According to a coroner’s release Guzman hit the back of the commercial vehicle at 4:10 a.m., and she was pronounced deceased at the scene about 25 minutes later at 4:33 a.m.

As news of Guzman’s tragic death spread throughout the valley, the young mother has been remembered by friends and family as kind, compassionate and always willing to offer a smile and a friendly hello.

A friend and former co-worker of Guzman’s wrote on Facebook that she travels the same road the victim died on as she drives to and from work every day and said she has seen many accidents – some fatal – along the same stretch of road and hates driving on it.

Although she said she had only known Guzman for a short time, she recalled her former co-worker and friend as “a great person and a hard worker that will be missed.”

Guzman’s family recalled their lost loved one as the joy of her parent’s lives and said she “brought happiness to everyone who met her.”

Although her family, friends and other loved ones say they are grieving her loss, they take comfort in “knowing she’s resting in peace.”

According to her family, Guzman is survived by her 5-year-old son Presely, her parents and siblings.

Guzman’s family has set up a gofundme account to help raise funds to offset the victim’s burial and other expenses. During its first three days, the fundraiser had raised more than $1,600 towards its $10,000 goal.

Officials are still investigating the cause of the deadly wreck and have not yet released any further information regarding their ongoing investigation.

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

 

ORIGINAL STORY: Woman killed on Ramona Expressway after plowing into back of big-rig

LAKEVIEW — A woman who smashed into the back of a dairy hauling big-rig was killed early this morning, according to witnesses and CHP reports. The deadly collision happened on westbound Ramona Expressway west of Bridge Street in Lakeview, just outside San Jacinto.

CHP, Riverside Sheriff’s Department, Cal Fire and other emergency first responders were dispatched to the scene of the accident about 4:15 a.m., after the driver of a tractor-trailer semi truck called 911 to report the collision.

The caller told emergency dispatchers the woman was not moving and was “possibly injured,” according to a CHP live traffic incident log.

When officials arrived at the scene they found a white Toyota Prius hatchback that had smashed into the back of a big-rig.

The Toyota sustained major front end damage and vehicle parts and debris were strewn across the roadway, leaving the lanes partially blocked. The dairy hauler was stopped along the side of the road nearby and the trailer had also sustained “substantial” damage and was heavily bent and twisted from the impact, according to witnesses.

Firefighter/paramedics determined the victim and sole occupant of the vehicle had sustained major traumatic injuries and according to Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire spokesperson Tawny Cabral she succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene. Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner officials were summoned to the scene about 4:45 a.m.

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

While firefighters worked to free the victim’s body from the wrecked hatchback, CHP began investigating the cause of the crash. During their investigation, eastbound Ramona Expressway was closed and traffic was diverted the nearby Bridge Street causing traffic throughout the area quickly to grind to a stand-still, frustrating many area commuters who reported traffic backed up for several miles.

Evidence at the scene indicated the tractor-trailer had been turning to head westbound on Ramona Expressway from Bridge Street when the other driver crashed into the back of the trailer.

Both the victim’s car and the damaged trailer were eventually towed from the scene, but as of 8 a.m., area commuters were still reporting heavy congestion throughout the area.

CHP’s investigation into the crash is active and ongoing and officials have not yet released any details regarding the deadly crash.

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

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Miguel Shannon/OC Hawk News video

 

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.