HEMET: One hospitalized after 4-vehicle, chain-reaction, head-on pileup
HEMET — One person was hospitalized earlier this evening after a four-vehicle, chain-reaction, head-on collision. The accident, that caused the temporary closure of Florida Avenue during rush hour traffic, happened at the intersection of Florida and Taquitz Avenues, in Hemet.
A mother and child escaped uninjured after plowing head-on into an SUV while trying to avoid another collision. The collision sent the SUV driver to the hospital. Gary Rainwater/Hemet Valley Incidents photo
City of Hemet Police and Fire Departments along with AMR medics responded to the scene of the accident shortly before 6 p.m., after several 911 callers reported as many as five vehicles involved in a pileup.
When officials arrived they found all lanes in both directions of travel blocked by wrecked vehicles, which were strewn about the roadway.
Officials called for the immediate temporary closure of Florida Avenue and officers began diverting traffic away from the scene while firefighter/paramedics evaluated and treated those involved in the crash. City PD volunteers eventually responded to the scene and assisted with the road closure.
One woman was eventually transported to an area hospital with complaints of back and neck pain. She was later released from the hospital.
According to witnesses at the scene, a grey Mazda four door traveling westbound on Florida Avenue when it rear-ended a grey Dodge pickup truck. A blue, Hyundai Hatchback being driven by a young mom with a baby, which had been traveling behind the sedan, then swerved into Florida’s eastbound lanes to avoid rear-ending the first collision. This in turn caused a head-on collision between it and a dark-colored SUV, whose driver was later transported to the hospital. Neither the mother, child or other vehicle occupants were injured in the collisions.
Officials determined a fifth vehicle initially believed involved in the crash had witnessed the collision and remained at the scene to assist the injured and provide a statement to law enforcement officers investigating the accident. Their investigation is active and ongoing.
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Trevor Montgomery, 46, recently moved to Shasta County from Riverside County and 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.