Two injured in Hemet rollover crash after car runs stop sign
HEMET — Two people were injured in a two-vehicle, rollover collision in Hemet yesterday morning, Monday, Oct. 1. The minor injury accident happened at the intersection of E. Whittier Ave. and S. Santa Fe St.
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City of Hemet Police and Fire Departments, along with other emergency personnel, were dispatched to the crash around 10:30 a.m., after receiving reports of the collision. 911 callers reported the accident happened when a small passenger vehicle possibly ran a stop sign and plowed into a commercial pickup truck, causing the truck to overturn onto its roof.
Officials work at the scene of yesterday morning’s rollover collision. Jim Graydon photo
When officials arrived they found a white work truck upside down in the middle of the intersection, blocking northbound traffic on Santa Fe St. A red coupe with major front-end damage was stopped nearby.
Both drivers were already out of their vehicles and were checked out by AMR medics who had responded to the scene.
According to witnesses at the scene of the crash, the driver of the coupe appeared to be under the influence of an unknown substance and he was described as “incoherent and unsteady on his feet,” by a witness and good Samaritan who had come from their nearby home to help after hearing the crash.
One witness said the man mentioned having taking muscle relaxers, which may have affected his ability to safely drive, but officials have not yet advised if the man was determined to have been under the influence when the accident happened.
The driver of the coupe had complaints of pain to his chest and he was eventually transported by ground ambulance to an area hospital for further evaluation and treatment. The driver of the truck, Hemet resident Paul Borrott, declined further medical treatment at the scene.
While paramedics treated the two drivers, officers investigated the cause of the crash. During their preliminary on-scene investigation officers spoke with both drivers and several witnesses and determined the driver of the coupe had run a stop sign at the intersection and plowed into the utility truck, causing it to overturn in the intersection.
Both vehicles were eventually towed from the scene and officers are still investigating the cause of the crash.
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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.
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 28 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 14 – but soon to be 16 – grandchildren.