HEMET: Driver hospitalized after rollover crash

HEMET — A driver was hospitalized after a single vehicle rollover crash last night. The vehicle overturned after smashing into the rear of a pickup truck parked along the south side of Oakland Ave., between N. Santa Fe St. and N Weston Pl., in Hemet.

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City of Hemet Police and Fire Departments, along with other emergency personnel, were dispatched to the scene of the solo-vehicle wreck shortly before 9:30 p.m., after area residents heard the crash and reported called 911.

Officers arrived within moments of the dispatched call and found a red Kia Soul with major front-end damage upside down on its roof. The injured driver had already crawled out from inside the overturned vehicle and he was found sitting on the side walk, near his wrecked car.

Firefighter-paramedics soon arrived and began evaluating and treating the driver, who was eventually transported to Hemet Valley Hospital for further treatment.

While firefighters treated the driver and cleaned up glass, fluids, and other debris from the roadway and a tow truck worked to pull the overturned vehicle back onto its wheels, officers began investigating the cause of the crash.

Based on evidence at the scene, officers determined the Kia had been traveling eastbound on Oakland Ave. when the driver allowed the vehicle to drift to the right where it smashed into a green, late model F150.

The impact pushed the pickup about five feet from is original location and caused the smaller Kia to overturn onto its roof. Officials are still working to determine how fast the vehicle was going at the time of the crash, but the posted speed limit in the semi-residential area and school zone is 30 mph.

A tow truck later righted the Kia back onto its wheels and towed the heavily damaged vehicle from the scene.

It is not yet known if alcohol or drug intoxication were contributing factors in the crash and Hemet PD has not yet released any information regarding their ongoing investigation.

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Timothy Franzese/Public Safety Incidents photos

Timothy Franzese/Public Safety Incidents video

 

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Trevor Montgomery, 47, recently moved to the Intermountain area of 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.