Driver flees after crashing U-Haul into Hemet home
HEMET — Authorities are searching for the driver of a U-Haul box-truck who fled the scene after losing control of the rented vehicle and crashing into a Hemet home early Wednesday evening, April 3. The solo-vehicle hit and run crash happened at the corner of Carlotta and DeSoto drives, southwest of W. Menlo and Palm avenues.
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City of Hemet Police and Fire Departments, along with AMR and other emergency personnel, responded to the scene of the crash around 6:30 p.m., after receiving multiple reports of the accident. 911 callers reported the driver of the U-Haul immediately fled the scene after the crash.
When officials arrived they found a U-Haul box-truck that had crashed through a fence and destroyed the front porch and awning of a home. A small, decorative retaining wall and other features in the home’s front yard were also damaged or destroyed in the crash.
Officers investigating the hit and run learned the driver was last seen fleeing the area on foot, toward N. Lyon Avenue. Despite searching for the driver, officers were not immediately able to locate the subject. The man was described as a white male adult, about 5-foot-8, 170 lbs, with a mustache and beard. He was wearing blue jeans, a beige baseball cap and a light colored jacket.
No one was inside the residence when the crash happened and there were no reported injuries related to the crash.
Hemet PD’s investigation and officials have asked that anyone with information about the driver who fled the scene contact Hemet PD at (951) 765-2400. Callers can remain anonymous.
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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.
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