Overturned SUV leads to chain-reaction Gilman Springs crash

UPDATED: Wednesday, Oct. 24, 9:50 p.m.

MORENO VALLEY –CHP updated at 9:35 a.m., that the three vehicles involved in this morning’s chain-reaction crash had been towed from the scene. CHP’s incident log also indicated that all official vehicles had left the area and that the incident was being investigated as a minor injury traffic collision.

 

MORENO VALLEY — Authorities are at the scene of a three-vehicle, chain-reaction crash that happened this morning on Gilman Springs Rd. According to a CHP incident log the crash was just south of Virginia St. and near Kevin St., in an unincorporated area of Moreno Valley northwest of San Jacinto.

Gilman Springs Rd. has been the scene of countless recent fatal and major-injury crashes and in an effort to decrease accidents through the area officials earlier this month made the entire length of Gilman Springs a no-passing zone.

Rather than calm and reassure area residents, the move caused frustration and anger among motorists who say more needs to be done to improve safety on the heavily traveled road that connects the San Jacinto Valley with Moreno Valley and the 60 Freeway.

THE RCNS HEADLINES:

UPDATE: Family confirms body found in Menifee field that of missing 64-year-old

Huge Murrieta active shooter and mass casualty drill scheduled for Tuesday

DA seeks witnesses, grieving family seeks change, after deadly crash that killed pregnant SJ mother, unborn daughter

CHP, Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, Cal Fire, and other emergency personnel, were dispatched to the crash around 7:20 a.m., after receiving reports of a solo-vehicle rollover traffic accident.

Multiple 911 callers reported a white SUV had careened off the roadway and rolled several times, coming to rest in a field off the roadway. Callers also reported the sole occupant was out of the vehicle and walking around, but the callers were not able to determine if the driver was injured.

A few minutes later, just before 7:30 a.m., callers updated that a white Chevy Malibu that had stopped at the scene to render aid and comfort to the driver of the SUV was rear-ended by a Kia Soul.

911 callers told emergency dispatchers the two wrecked vehicles involved in the second collision were blocking the westbound lanes of traffic, causing additional hazards as other motorists slowly worked their way past the scene of the two accidents.

When Cal Fire arrived at the scene around 7:35 a.m., they found the three wrecked vehicles, along with vehicle parts and debris that were spread across a section of the rural, two-lane roadway. Fire officials advised that both directions of travel were blocked and impassable.

It was not immediately known if their were any injuries related to the two crashes, but CHP’s incident log did not indicate that an ambulance was requested to the scene or if anyone was transported for further treatment.

CHP later requested three tow trucks to the scene and as of this report two of the tow vehicles had arrived, but a third was still headed to the location of the crash.

CHP is investigating the cause of the two accidents and their investigation 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.