HEMET: Walking away after reportedly causing disturbance, man critically injured crossing Hwy 74

HEMET — A man who had possibly just caused or been involved in a disturbance involving managers and employees at a Hemet Walgreens was critically injured when he was struck while crossing Florida Avenue, just east of Gilmore Street, earlier this evening. The accident happened barely two-tenths of a mile from the store, where police were still responding when the accident happened.

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According to witnesses and others familiar with the two, possibly related incidents, Hemet PD was contacted sometime around 8 p.m., after Walgreens employees called 911 to report an incident involving the man who was later struck.

While officers were still headed to Walgreens to investigate the reported disturbance, Hemet’s emergency dispatch center lit up with calls from motorists and witnesses calling to report the vehicle versus pedestrian collision. Callers reported the man was hit by a customized, white, BMW M3 while he “jaywalked” across Florida.

The busy roadway – which is part of Highway 74 – is the main east/west corridor through the city. Callers also advised the driver of the BMW remained at the scene and people were running onto the highway to protect the downed pedestrian.

Hemet PD diverted from the pending disturbance, and along with Hemet Fire Department and AMR medics, rushed to the scene of the accident.

After the collision, other motorists stopped, many positioning their vehicles in such a way as to block and protect the stricken pedestrian, with one small SUV pulling diagonally across the highway’s double yellow lines, effectively stopping traffic in both directions.

When the first officer arrived at the scene, he ran to the side of the victim’s crumpled body, which lay in the middle of the roadway, straddling the double yellow lines separating east and west bound traffic. The officer immediately began providing aid and comfort to the critically injured victim while quickly assessing the “unconscious and barely breathing” man’s numerous major injuries.

With his hand on the victim’s back the officer spoke calmly to the man, telling him to “hang in there,” while assuring him that help was on the way.

While the officer comforted the victim, several stunned witnesses stood nearby – in the middle of the still busy highway – watching the tragic scene unfold around them. One woman stood with her hand covering her open mouth,  The haunted look in her eyes and her absolute silence betraying her shock at what she had just witnessed. A nearby man with a shopping cart filled with various personal effects, bicycle parts and a small dog was praying for the man he seemed to know and called by name, while wiping tears from his eyes.

Firefighter/paramedics and AMR medics soon arrived at the scene and took over life-saving efforts, leaving officers to investigate the accident and its possible connection to the reported disturbance at Walgreens.

Evidence at the scene indicated after being struck by the BMW, the victim – who was reportedly not using a marked cross walk – was launched onto the vehicle’s hood and thrown up and over the car’s roof, crushing the car’s hood, windshield and roof inwards in the process. The impact of the collision, which knocked the man out of his pants, threw the victim at least 20 or more yards down the road.

Based on the man’s injuries, officials requested a Mercy Air Ambulance respond to transport the victim to an area trauma center. AMR medics eventually transported the victim by ground ambulance to Hemet-Ryan Airport, where he was then transferred into a waiting chopper and life-flighted from the area.

After the man was rushed from the scene several of his personal effects and belongs remained in the middle of the intersection, including the victim’s dark red shirt which rescuers cut off him and a large, black and full back pack. Officials later collected those and other personal items scattered about the accident scene.

As of this report, Hemet PD is still at the scene of the wreck and their investigation is in its early stages. Officials have not yet released any information or details about the incident or their ongoing investigation.

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

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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.