Distracted driver plows into car, hospitalizing 1

HEMET — A woman was hospitalized after another driver in a pickup truck ran a Hemet stop sign and plowed into her small sedan earlier this afternoon, Thursday, Jan. 3. The man reportedly told officers he was distracted when he failed to stop at the four-way, stop sign-controlled intersection of S. Palm and W. Acacia avenues.

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City of Hemet Police and Fire Departments, along with AMR and other emergency personnel were dispatched to the intersection around 4:40 p.m., after receiving reports of a two-vehicle, injury traffic collision. 911 callers reported one of the vehicles was in the middle of the intersection, blocking all directions of travel.

When officials began arriving, they came upon a chaotic scene as other motorists were trying to work their way past a wrecked, red Toyota sedan as well as vehicle parts and debris that were scattered throughout the intersection. The Toyota had sustained major front-end damage, with multiple air bag deployments.  A red Chevy pickup truck with minor front-end damage was pulled to the side of the road nearby.

Both drivers and sole occupants of the two vehicles were at the scene and cooperated with Hemet PD’s subsequent crash investigation.

Shortly after the crash, while paramedics were evaluating and treating the two drivers, the female’s parents arrived at the scene to provide comfort and support to their injured daughter. AMR eventually transported her to Hemet Valley Hospital with unspecified injuries.

During their subsequent investigation, officers learned the driver of the pickup wasn’t paying attention when he failed to stop at the four-way controlled intersection. By the time he realized the sedan was turning onto Acacia from Palm in front of him, it was too late to stop.

The Toyota was eventually towed from the scene, while the Chevy was able to be driven away at the conclusion of HPD’s initial on-scene crash investigation.

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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.