4 injured, 2 air-lifted, after Hwy 74 crash near Mt. Center

MOUNTAIN CENTER — Officials are investigating a crash in Mountain Center that injured four people, including two victims who were airlifted from the scene with serious injuries, after a vehicle smashed into a tree and overturned Sunday morning, Feb. 10. The single-vehicle accident happened on the 56000 block of State Route 74, near Apple Canyon Rd.

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California Highway Patrol officers, more than a dozen Cal Fire/Riverside County firefighters from five engine companies, three AMR ambulance crews, and other emergency personnel, were dispatched to the scene shortly after 8:30 a.m., after receiving reports of a solo-vehicle crash. 911 callers reported the vehicle had overturned after plowing into a tree on the eastbound side of the highway, and that victims were possibly trapped inside the wrecked vehicle.

When officials arrived they confirmed two victims were trapped inside the overturned vehicle and required a cut and rescue operation. Firefighters used the “Jaws of Life” to extricate the victims and based on their injuries officials requested a Mercy Air Ambulance to the scene.

The two most seriously injured victims were eventually life-flighted from the crash site to an area trauma center. Their injuries were described as serious at the time.

The other two victims were transported by ground ambulances to area hospitals with injuries described as moderate and minor.

No updates have been provided regarding any of the victims’ current conditions.

While officials worked at the scene, they called for the temporary closure of the two-lane mountain highway, but the roadway was reopened a short time later when officials had cleared the wrecked vehicle from the crash site.

Alcohol and/or drug intoxication are not suspected to be contributing factors in the crash, but have not yet been ruled out.

CHP is investigating the cause of the crash and their investigation is ongoing.

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.

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