HEMET: Man, 32, killed crossing darkened street

July 13, 2018 Trevor Montgomery

HEMET — A Hemet man was killed while crossing a dark and poorly lit Hemet street Thursday evening, July 12. The victim was struck while attempting to cross the 700 block of E. Menlo Ave., between Buena Vista and N. Santa Fe Streets, in Hemet.

Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner officials later identified Jesse Herrera, 32, of Hemet, as the man killed in the vehicle versus pedestrian collision. According to a coroner’s release, Herrera died about 40 minutes after being hit and he was pronounced deceased at 9:55 p.m.

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City of Hemet Police and Fire Departments, along with Riverside County sheriff’s deputies and other emergency personnel, were dispatched to the scene of the deadly collision just after 9:15 p.m.

Police officers and sheriff’s deputies discuss last night’s fatal collision. Timothy Franzese/Public Safety Incidents photo

When officials arrived they found Herrera down in the eastbound lane of traffic. The vehicle that struck the man, described as a dark-colored GMC Sierra pickup truck, was stopped near the victim’s body and the distraught elderly driver stood anxiously nearby.

Herrera had sustained major traumatic injuries and firefighter-paramedics and AMR medics immediately began life saving measures. Despite their efforts, Herrera succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene.

While medical personnel worked to save Herrera’s life, Hemet PD officers investigated the cause of the fatal accident and officers called for the temporary closure of Menlo Ave. between Haley Way and N. Santa Fe St.

During their investigation officers determined Herrera was struck while trying to cross a darkened section of Menlo Ave. that has no overhead street lights. The victim was not inside or near a cross walk when he was hit and officers determined that the nearest marked cross walk was about a quarter-mile to the west.

Hemet PD has not released any information about this accident or their collision investigation, which is ongoing.

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Timothy Franzese/Public Safety Incidents photo

Timothy Franzese/Public Safety Incidents video

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 47, recently moved to Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for several other news organizations, including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, The Valley Chronicle and Anza Valley Outlook, as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and The Mountain Echo in Shasta 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. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s 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 – soon to be 15 – grandchildren.