BREAKING: CHP on scene of fiery wreck, ejection, near Lake Mathews

UPDATED: Thursday, Oct. 11, With correction and additional details.

LAKE MATHEWS — CHP is at the scene of a major-injury crash involving a person who was ejected from an SUV that slammed head-on into a utility transformer, went airborne and overturned, and then burst into flames.

The single-vehicle crash happened on Lake Mathews Dr., near Richey Dr. and Eagle View Rd., south of Cajalco Rd.

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California Highway Patrol, Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire, and other emergency personnel were dispatched to the crash about 5 p.m., after receiving reports of a vehicle that hit a power box and overturned. 911 callers reported the SUV was fully engulfed in flames and that at least one occupant had been thrown from the vehicle.

When officials arrived they found the still burning SUV about sixty feet down the road from where it went airborne after smashing into the utility box. Officials reported that the destroyed transformer box had live wires exposed and summoned SoCal Edison to the scene to assess and repair the destroyed box.

A person familiar with the accident later reported to RCNS that after hitting the utility box, the Ford Bronco went airborne flipping as it did so. The SUV landed about forty feet down the road, bounced, and then landed another twenty feet away where it then caught fire.

While officials worked at the scene they called for the temporary closure of Lake Mathews Dr. Officials reopened the roadway about an hour later, shortly after 6 p.m.

No information was immediately available regarding the occupant(s) from the vehicle and CHP has not yet released any information regarding their investigation, which is active and ongoing at the scene.

This is a developing story that will be updated as new information is available.

 

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.