Hiker, 52, rescued after 100′ fall near Apache Peak

MOUNTAIN CENTER — A 52-year-old, Coronado man was airlifted to an area hospital after he reportedly slipped and fell more than 100 feet down a mountain while hiking near Apache Peak Thursday morning, April 4. Apache Peak is along the Pacific Crest Trail and located east of Mountain Center.

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Emergency personnel were first alerted to the hiker’s predicament around 8 a.m., after learning the man had fallen from the trail and tumbled down the steep mountainside, Riverside Sheriff’s Sgt. James Burton later reported.

Deputies from the Hemet Station, along with members from Riverside Sheriff’s Aviation Unit and Drone Team were dispatched to the search and rescue operation. They were assisted by volunteers from the Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit, Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department, and AMR.

After locating the injured hiker, officials determined the man had suffered a compound fracture to his ankle, as well as other minor injuries, and he could not make it off the mountain without assistance.

“The Aviation Unit and RMRU were able to hoist the injured hiker out of the area to a medical unit,” Burton explained. The victim was then transported to a local hospital for treatment of his injuries.

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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.