Too drunk to stand, driver arrested after DUI crash
HEMET — A man, apparently too intoxicated to stand on his own, was arrested for driving under the influence after he mowed down a Hemet traffic signal Sunday afternoon, May 12. Yesterday’s crash happened at the intersection of Meridian and Florida avenues.
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City of Hemet Police and Fire Departments, along with AMR and other emergency personnel, were dispatched to the intersection around 3:37 p.m., after receiving reports of a single-vehicle traffic collision involving a dark-colored pickup truck that hit a traffic signal.
When officials arrived, they found a black Nissan truck with minor front-end damage stopped along the side of the road. A destroyed traffic signal that had been sheared off at its base was down in the roadway and on the sidewalk and the driver of the truck, who has not been identified publicly, was laying incoherently on the sidewalk near his damaged pickup.
Witnesses at the scene reported seeing the driver’s Nissan careen over the curb at the intersection, where it slammed at high speed into the traffic signal, which was knocked down and destroyed by the impact.
While Hemet PD and CHP officers attempted to talk to the alleged drunk driver he appeared to be so intoxicated he could not answer their questions or stand without assistance, and had to be propped up and helped by officers.
Although it was not immediately known if the man was intoxicated on alcohol, drugs, or both, based on their observations and his apparent extreme level of intoxication, officers eventually arrested and handcuffed the driver. Unable to stand or walk on his own without assistance, he was then picked up, and led by officers to a waiting patrol vehicle, to be transported to Hemet Jail for booking.
CalTrans was summoned to the scene to replace the destroyed traffic signal and the driver’s pickup was later towed from the scene.
There were no injuries as a result of the collision, which is being investigated by Hemet PD. Their investigation is ongoing.
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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.