CHP at scene of fatal SR-91 motorcycle crash

RIVERSIDE — A motorcyclist died in what is believed to have been a single-vehicle crash in Riverside earlier this afternoon, Tuesday, March 12. The deadly accident, which caused a SigAlert to be issued, happened on the eastbound 91 Freeway, just west of University Ave., according to a CHP incident log.

Although the freeway has since been reopened, the University off ramp remained closed and the SigAlert remained in effect as of this report.

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CHP, along with Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire and City of Riverside Fire Departments, AMR, and other emergency personnel, were dispatched to the area around 2:30 p.m., after receiving reports of a crash involving a motorcyclist.

911 callers reported that a red motorcycle ended up near the freeway’s center divider and was blocking part of the freeway’s HOV lane between University and 14th St., but witnesses could not specify where the rider ended up after the crash.

Officials used CCTV camera systems to verify where the motorcycle ended up, but could not immediately locate the downed rider.

With help from one of the original 911 callers, as well as others who called to report the incident, the victim’s lifeless body was eventually found near the beginning of the University off ramp.

Callers who found the rider’s body told emergency dispatchers they had located a significant amount of blood in the roadway and followed a blood trail that led to the victim’s body. When they found the rider they reported the subject was not moving and had sustained major traumatic injuries.

When the first engine company arrived at the scene, they used their large apparatus to block the University Ave. off ramp and called for the temporary closure of the eastbound freeway exit. CHP’s incident log advised the closure would remain in effect for an unknown duration.

Based on the circumstances and emergency activity at multiple locations, CHP issued a SIgAlert around 2:45 p.m., about 15 minutes after the accident was reported.

At around 3:20 p.m., CHP updated that the motorcycle had been moved off the freeway and out of the lanes of travel and that freeway traffic was once again moving unimpeded. However, the off ramp remained closed and traffic remained congested, as motorists slowly worked their way past emergency personnel still working in the area where the victim’s body had been located.

The victim has not yet been publicly identified, pending further investigation and notification of the person’s family.

As of this report, a flatbed tow truck was still headed to the scene to tow and store motorcycle as evidence for CHP’s investigation, which is active and ongoing at the scene.

Contacted for more information, CHP could not provide an estimated time when the SigAlert would be lifted and the University Ave. off ramp reopened.

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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.