Motorcyclist “lucky to be alive” after Hwy 74 wreck near Bee Cyn: CHP
VALLE VISTA — A motorcyclist witnesses say was speeding and riding recklessly was hospitalized Saturday afternoon, Oct. 6, after losing control of his motorcycle on a curve on Highway 74 east of Valle Vista. The accident happened along a two-lane section of the rural mountain highway, heading away from Hemet toward Idyllwild.
A CHP officer later said from the scene that despite suffering major injuries, the motorcyclist was “lucky to be alive” and even managed to walk to a waiting ambulance.
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CHP, Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire, and AMR medics, were dispatched to the crash around 2:50 p.m., after the accident was reported.
Officials interview potential witnesses at the scene of Saturday’s motorcycle crash on Hwy 74. Eddie George/Hemet News photo
911 callers reported the motorcyclist lost control on eastbound Highway 74, between Bee Canyon Truck Trail and Doe Canyon Rd., and hit and destroyed three yellow “sharp turn” caution signs.
When officials arrived they found the downed rider surrounded by other motorists and good Samaritans who had stopped to render aid and comfort to the injured motorcyclist.
A wrecked black and yellow Suzuki had been moved onto the dirt shoulder of the road. Motorcycle parts, pieces of the three destroyed road signs, and other debris, lay scattered across both lanes of the highway and officials immediately called for the closure of the eastbound lane heading toward Idyllwild.
Paramedics treated the motorcyclist at the scene and despite his injuries, the man was able to walk to a waiting ambulance, according to an officer at the scene. He was eventually transported to an area hospital for treatment of unspecified injuries. His current status was not immediately available.
SEE SIMILAR: SJ motorcyclist, 28, dead after vehicle pulls out in front of rider
During their investigation, CHP interviewed several motorists and witnesses at the scene, who described that before the accident happened the rider had been speeding, crossing into and riding on the wrong side of the road, and dangerously passing other motorists.
CHP is still investigating the cause of the crash and their investigation is ongoing.
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Eddie George/Hemet News video
Contact the writer: [email protected]
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.