Redlands officer seriously injured in fiery wreck
REDLANDS — A City of Redlands police officer is recovering this weekend from a single-vehicle crash after he lost control of his vehicle and smashed into a power pole early Friday morning, Feb. 15. The patrol SUV burst into flames after the tremendous impact and the officer sustained broken bones and other major injuries, Redding PD officials later explained.
The seriously injured officer, who remains hospitalized, was responding to a high-priority call around 3 a.m., when his patrol vehicle careened out of control and he crashed near the intersection of Lugonia Ave. and Church St. in Redlands.
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“A Redlands Police officer was traveling eastbound on Lugonia Ave. to a man with a gun call when he lost control of his vehicle and struck a power pole,” RPD later explained in social media releases.
The pole was sheared off at its base, cutting off power to a large area, the department stated.
Southern California Edison crews responded to the scene to address the power outage and spent several hours making necessary repairs to the damaged power lines and replacing the destroyed pole.
While officials investigated the cause of the crash, they called for the temporary closure of Lugonia Ave., between Church St. and Berkeley Dr., but the road was reopened a few hours later at the conclusion of their initial on-scene investigation.
Officials later posted to social media that Redlands Police Chief Catren had visited the officer in the hospital and reported he was “doing well” and was “in good spirits.” The department also thanked the community for their continued “prayers and your support” for their injured officer and the department.
No one else was involved or injured in the crash, the cause of which is still under investigation.
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John Strangis/RMG Media photos and video
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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.