BEAUMONT: Crash creates rush hour crunch after car loses control, plows into tree
BEAUMONT — Officials are investigating a solo-vehicle accident after a vehicle exiting the 10 Freeway at the Beaumont Avenue/Hwy 79 off-ramp lost control, slid off the roadway and down an embankment before plowing head-on into a tree earlier this evening. Rain-slicked roads and excessive speed for the wet conditions may have been contributing factors in the crash.
Three people were reportedly inside a car that slid off the Beaumont Road off-ramp while exiting the 10 Freeway. Zachary & Amber Montgomery/RCNS photo
CHP, Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire and other emergency first responders were dispatched to the scene shortly after 6:30 p.m., after other motorists and witnesses called 911 to report the accident. According to a CHP Incident Log, 911 callers reported seeing at least three people get out of the car after the wreck.
When officials arrived they found a dark-colored Nissan Altima with major front-end damage against a tree to the south side of the off-ramp.
Numerous vehicles had pulled over to help those involved in the crash and vehicles were stopped and parked along the off-ramp as well as nearby Luis Estrada Road, which runs parallel and to the south of the freeway and off-ramp.
While paramedics evaluated and treated the vehicle’s occupants, CHP investigated the cause of the crash. It was not immediately known if anyone from the sedan was injured.
The off-ramp remained open while officials remained at the scene, but eastbound, rush-hour traffic – especially vehicles wanting to use the exit – soon backed up more than a mile. Traffic quickly returned to normal after the vehicle was towed from the scene.
CHP’s investigation is 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.