Winchester man seriously injured in head-on crash that killed OC woman

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO — A Tustin woman died and a Winchester man was seriously injured in a head-on crash early Tuesday morning, July 17.

The fatal accident happened on Ortega Highway near Caspers Wilderness Park and caused the eastbound lanes of traffic to be closed for several hours, according to California Highway Patrol.

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Orange County coroner’s officials on Wednesday identified the woman killed in the crash as 43-year-old Maureen Mendoza.

Officers from CHP’s San Juan Capistrano Area Station,  Orange County Fire Authority, and other emergency personnel responded to the scene of the deadly crash just before 5:30 a.m., after receiving reports of a pickup truck and SUV that had collided head-on.

When officials arrived they found traffic backed up for several miles in both directions on the highway, which serves as a main thoroughfare between Orange County and the Inland Empire.

Officials located a wrecked 2016 BMW SUV and 2015 Chevrolet truck that had collided head-on and firefighters determined the driver of the BMW, later identified as Mendoza, succumbed to her injuries and officials pronounced her deceased at the scene.

The driver of the Chevy, a 27-year-old Winchester man, was hospitalized with major injuries, CHP Officer Rafael Reynoso explained after the deadly crash.

Officers who investigated the crash determined that just before the collision Mendoza was traveling eastbound on Ortega Hwy at an unknown speed. At the same time, the Winchester resident was traveling west toward Mendoza’s SUV.

As the two vehicles neared each other Mendoza allowed her BMW to veer into the oncoming lane of traffic, causing the two vehicles to smash head-on into each other.

During their investigation, officials called for the temporary closure of the eastbound direction of travel on the highway and the roadway remained closed for several hours.

Alcohol and drug intoxication do not appear to be factors in the deadly crash and CHP’s investigation into the fatal wreck is ongoing, said Reynoso.

 

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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.