Ejected from SUV, teen suffers major head trauma, other critical injuries

MENIFEE — A 17-year-old suffered major head trauma and other serious, life-threatening injuries yesterday, after he lost control of his SUV and was ejected from the vehicle when it overturned multiple times in an unincorporated area of Menifee.

The teen was rushed to a regional trauma center in critical condition after the solo-vehicle crash, which happened in the area of Holland and Briggs roads, Tuesday afternoon, Nov. 20.

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CHP and other emergency personnel were dispatched to the wreck about 3 p.m., after receiving reports of an SUV that had overturned multiple times, CHP Officer Mike Lassig explained this morning. A 911 caller reported the driver and sole occupant from the vehicle was thrown from the SUV and seriously injured.

When officials arrived they found the teen, who has not been publicly identified, in the roadway. A heavily damaged, 1997 Ford Explorer that had rolled into the front yard of a home and caused private property damage was nearby.

During their investigation, CHP determined the teen was driving his SUV eastbound on a dirt extension of Holland Rd. east of Briggs Rd., just before the accident.

“The teen allowed his Ford Explorer to travel off of the north roadway edge of Holland Road, and made an unsafe turning movement to the right, causing the Ford Explorer to rollover several times,” explained Lassig.

Officials are still working to determine how fast the driver, who was not wearing his seat belt and was ejected from the Ford, was going when he lost control and his vehicle overturned.

AMR rushed the victim to Inland Valley Hospital with serious, life-threatening injuries, and no updates about the teen’s injuries was immediately available.

CHP’s investigation is ongoing and officers have asked that anyone with information about this accident investigation or who witnessed the crash to contact CHP’s Temecula Area Station at (951) 506-2000. Callers can remain anonymous.

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

 

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 47, moved last year 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 15 – but soon to be 16 – grandchildren.