UPDATED: Warned too intoxicated to drive, man ejected in crash, one of two killed, 5 injured

UPDATED: Monday, Apr. 30, 8:20 p.m., With link including updated information.

UPDATED: Monday, Apr. 30, 5:05 a.m. With additional details and interviews as well as GoFundMe link for victim’s family.

SEE ORIGINAL STORY AND ALL PHOTOGRAPHS BELOW.

SAN JACINTO — More details have come to light in the tragic aftermath of a DUI-related, three vehicle, head-on collision that took the life of two people two nights ago, Saturday, Apr. 28. In addition to the allegedly intoxicated driver who reportedly caused the fatal wreck, the other person killed in the crash was one of two juvenile twin brothers, driving with their older sister. Additionally, five more people were hospitalized. Their injuries ranged from minor to major, according to sheriff and fire officials.

Although Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner’s officials have not yet publicly identified the juvenile victim who was tragically and needlessly killed when the alleged drunk driver plowed head-on into the Nissan Maxima the boy was riding in, family members have identified the young victim as Tony Gomez.

According to Tony’s family, he and his twin brother, Marcos, were riding as passengers in the back seat of the Nissan and the pair’s older sister, Brianna, had been driving. Both surviving siblings were hospitalized with serious injuries after the DUI-related, double-fatality wreck. Their current conditions have not been updated.

One area resident, Cynthia Gonzales later explained she was right behind the accident when it happened and she immediately stopped and leaped from her car “just trying to see what I could do to help out.”

After finding Herrmann’s lifeless body near a bike path along the side of the road, Gonzales ran to check on the three siblings.

“They were all injured pretty bad,” Gonzales said. The twin brothers were unresponsive and appeared to be unconscious, “but they were both breathing,” Gonzales described before learning of the teen’s death.

“I just stayed there comforting (Brianna), telling her that police and paramedics were on their way,” Gonzales continued – clearly still shaken and emotional, “That was all I could do.”

According to friends and roommates of the allegedly intoxicated driver, later identified by coroner’s officials as Jeffrey Hoyt Herrmann, before the 52-year-old Hemet resident tried to get into his Honda and drive, his friends tried to warn him he was too intoxicated to get behind the wheel. They even reportedly offered him a ride.

The man stubbornly insisted he was fine and chose to drive away, over the objections of his friends. The horrifying wreck happened just a few miles away and a few minutes from where he had just left.

The double fatal collision not only robbed the man of his own life, but forever altered the lives of an entire family – now left grieving the loss of one child, while also praying fervently for the full recovery of the victim’s brother and sister.

Several hours after the deadly wreck, in a posting to Eye News Media Production’s website that included video filmed live at the scene of the collision, Eddie George – the founder of several social media-based community news groups including Hemet Eye News – explained what he knew about the deadly crash.

According to George, since Herrmann fell on hard times and had nowhere else to live, he had been living as a temporary guest at George’s Hemet-area home. Herrmann even occasionally helped Hemet Eye News by obtaining photographs, details and interviews to be used on the news group’s Facebook page.

“The night of the accident, (Herrmann) was drinking and was advised against driving,” George explained. “Unfortunately for all of those involved, he decided to do so anyways.” The accident occurred just a few miles away and a matter of minutes after Herrmann left the location where he had been drinking.

In a sad twist, after hearing of the crash via police and fire scanners, George responded to the scene and was live-streaming the firefighter’s life-saving efforts and entire rescue process to Hemet Eye News’ nearly 45,000 members, without ever realizing he and videographer John Strangis were documenting and reporting on the death of George’s temporary house guest.

In spite of filming and conducting interviews mere feet from the extensive accident and crime scene, George later explained to RCNS that due to Herrmann’s condition after being ejected, he did not find out until hours later that he had been filming and documenting the scene of his own “roommate’s” death.

“I didn’t even know it was him laying on the ground right in front of me,” George later explained, adding that he had also not recognized Herrmann’s destroyed car, because of the extensive damage the sedan sustained in the head-on collision.

According to George, he first learned of Herrmann’s death hours later when sheriff’s officials came to his door “and brought us the bad news.”

Family members of the deceased boy and his two injured siblings later shared their grief over the senseless and entirely preventable death of one of their loved one’s as well as seriously injuring the boy’s twin brother and older sister.

“Our family suffered a terrible tragedy,” Noemi Espinoza explained the morning after Herrmann plowed head-on into the Nissan carrying the three siblings.

“Unfortunately the impact was too severe for Tony and he was unable to recover,” the grieving woman explained.

While asking for continued prayer for the entire “devastated” family, Espinoza thanked all those who have already offered support and comforted the family after the “unexpected and terrible tragedy.”

In a GoFundMe account created to help offset memorial services for Tony as well as mounting medical bills for siblings Marcos and Brianna, Espinoza explained what little they knew about the accident, saying, “Our loving and caring Tony was taken too soon.”

As of this update, the fundraising site had only raised $830 towards the family’s stated goal and need of $16,000.

San Jacinto PD’s investigation into the fatal collision is active and ongoing.

Anyone with additional information regarding this investigation or who witnessed the deadly crash is encouraged to contact Deputy Cox at the San Jacinto Police Department at (951) 487-7352. Callers can refer to incident file number I181180101 and can remain anonymous.

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

 

ORIGINAL STORY:

SAN JACINTO — Shortly after being warned by friends that he was too intoxicated to drive, a Hemet man was killed last night when he caused a three-vehicle wreck that also killed another person – reportedly a twin riding as passenger with his brother – in one of the other vehicles. The deadly wreck, that happened along a sweeping curve on Ramona Expressway east of Vernon Avenue in San Jacinto, left five others hospitalized.

In addition to those who knew the allegedly intoxicated man and later described warning him not to drive due to his level of intoxication, officials have also confirmed that alcohol was a possible contributing factor in the double fatal collision.

SEE ALSO: UPDATED: CHP releases details about fatal head-on crash that killed SJ man, 28

SEE ALSO: UPDATED:Young mom died racing to hospital to see brother, injured in unrelated wreck

SEE ALSO: HEMET: No injuries after recklessly speeding SUV overturns

Coroner’s officials later identified Jeffrey Hoyt Herrmann, 52, of Hemet, as the man who caused the deadly wreck. According to a coroner’s release, Herrmann was pronounced deceased at the scene by officials at 9 p.m., eight minutes after the crash was first reported.

Herrmann’s friends have described the man as a “Navy veteran who suffered from PTSD,” and said he has recently been depressed and drinking a lot.

Emergency first responders were dispatched to the accident at 8:52 p.m., after receiving reports of the major injury traffic collision. Callers told emergency dispatchers one person had been ejected and was possibly already deceased and also reported multiple people trapped and seriously injured inside one of the wrecked vehicles.

More than a dozen firefighters from five Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire and Soboba Fire engine companies responded to the accident, Cal Fire spokesperson Tawny Cabral wrote in an incident report.

When officials arrived at the scene they found three wrecked vehicles, with automotive parts, debris, and personal items scattered across more than 100 yards of Ramona Expressway. The vehicles were described as a light-colored Honda Civic, a white Chrysler minivan, and a white Nissan Maxima. All three were heavily damaged.

“The first arriving engine company reported a total of seven victims, two requiring extrication,” Cabral explained. “Four victims sustained minor injuries, two sustained moderate injuries and one sustained serious injuries.”

While paramedics were evaluating and treating the multiple victims, firefighters retrieved the “Jaws of Life” and began setting up to perform a cut and rescue operation to free the other trapped and injured victims.

Based on the number of victims and severity of their injuries, officials at the scene requested a Mercy Air Ambulance respond to life-flight the most seriously injured victim, whose injuries were listed as major.

Officials also requested several additional ground ambulances and a total of five AMR ambulance crews and an AMR supervisor responded to the scene to transport the various victims to different area hospitals.

While rescue efforts were continuing, a white and blue Mercy Air Ambulance arrived at the scene, landing in a dirt field adjacent Ramona Expressway. Paramedics rushed the critically injured victim onto the waiting chopper and moments later the helicopter lifted off, spun 180 degrees, and headed toward Riverside University Health System’s Trauma Center in Moreno Valley.

Area resident Cynthia Gonzales, who was one of several people who witnessed the fatal collision and called 911 to report the accident later spoke with Hemet Eye News about what she saw in the immediate aftermath of the wreck. (See full ENMedia interview and video from accident scene here.)

“I put my (emergency) flashers on and got out, just trying to see what I could do to help out,” Gonzales explained, saying she told her 15-year-old nephew to stay in the car and call 911.

With a haunted look and tears welling in her eyes she described that she first ran to the destroyed Honda, which was sitting in the middle of the expressway, blocking both directions of travel.

“I checked out that grey car but nobody was in there,” said Gonzales. While scanning the extensive wreckage scene Gonzales spotted the driver of the Honda, later identified as Herrmann, who she found “on the bike path” along the side of the road.

“He probably flew out on impact,” Gonzales said emotionally. “It looked like he was deceased already.”

Seeing there was nothing she could do to help the ejected and deceased victim, Gonzales said she ran to the Nissan, where she found three victims. Gonzales described the trio as “a young lady and her two, twin brothers.”

Gonzales said the woman who had been driving “was injured pretty bad.” Her twin brothers, who had been riding in the back seat of the vehicle, were unresponsive and appeared to be unconscious, “but they were both breathing,” Gonzales described.

“I just stayed there comforting (the driver), telling her that police and paramedics were on their way,” Gonzales continued – clearly still shaken and emotional, “That was all I could do.”

One of the twin brothers, who has not yet been publicly identified, later succumbed to his injuries. Officials have not specified if the victim was an adult or child and it was not immediately known if the victim died while en-route to an area hospital or after their arrival.

Deputies from the San Jacinto Police Station are investigating the deadly crash, Riverside Sheriff’s Sergeant Robert Himmelberg explained after the wreck.

“The initial investigation indicated a Honda Civic was traveling west on Ramona Expressway while a Nissan Maxima was traveling east,” said Himmelberg. “The Civic veered across the center line and into the path of the Maxima. The two vehicles collided head-on.”

Himmelberg did not explain how the third vehicle was involved, but according to the sergeant, “Alcohol may be a factor in the collision, and the investigation is ongoing.”

During their investigation, deputies called for the temporary closure of Ramona Expressway and officials diverted all traffic away from the accident and crime scene. The roadway remained closed for several hours until the conclusion of officials’ initial investigation.

Anyone with additional information regarding this investigation or who witnessed the deadly crash is encouraged to contact Deputy Cox at the San Jacinto Police Department at (951) 487-7352. Callers can refer to incident file number I181180101 and can remain anonymous.

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

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Contact the writer: [email protected]

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.