UPDATE: Crushed to death while working on truck, Hemet man, 58, ID’d

UPDATED: Tuesday, Aug. 28, 5 p.m., With coroner’s release

HEMET — A man working on his pickup truck died in Hemet yesterday after he was crushed between two vehicles and stopped breathing. Officials are now trying to determine the cause of the deadly accident, which happened Monday, Aug. 27, on the 300 block of S. San Jacinto St., just south of E. Acacia Ave.

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City of Hemet Police and Fire personnel, along with other emergency first responders, were dispatched to the scene at 5:14 p.m., after the City’s Dispatch Center began receiving 911 calls reporting the incident, Hemet Police Lt. Eric Dickson later explained in a social media release.

Officers began arriving within moments of the dispatched call and found a man in the roadway between two vehicles in front of a private residence.

“The man was not breathing and the officers began CPR,” wrote Dickson, who explained officers continued life-saving efforts until they were relieved by firefighter-paramedics.

Despite their efforts, the victim succumbed to his injuries and he was pronounced deceased at the scene.

Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner officials later identified Carlos Garcia, 58, of Hemet, as the victim who died at the scene. A coroner release indicated officials pronounced the victim dead at 5:44 p.m., exactly 30 minutes after dispatchers received the 911 call reporting the accident.

Based on the circumstances, Hemet PD traffic investigators responded to the scene and assumed the death investigation.

During their subsequent investigation officers determined that just before the accident, Garcia had been working on the engine of an older, red and white, Ford pickup truck that was parked on S. San Jacinto street.

“At some point, the vehicle started up and lurched forward, pinning him between his vehicle and the vehicle parked in front of it,” said Dickson. Crushed between the two vehicles, Garcia reportedly stopped breathing.

An area resident managed to move the other vehicle just as the officers began arriving, “which gave them access to assess the male’s condition and begin CPR,” according to Dickson.

Officials are still working to determine what caused the truck to lurch forward and their investigation is ongoing.

 

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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 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.