Heavy rain, speeding cited after fatal Banning crash

BANNING — A 33-year-old Rialto man has died after losing control of his vehicle and careening off the I-10 Freeway and into a tree in Banning early this morning, Thursday, May 23. Heavy rain and excessive speed for the conditions were determined to be contributing factors in the deadly crash, according to CHP.

Although the victim was wearing his seat belt when his vehicle spun off the highway, east of Hargrave St. and west of the Desert Hills Inspection Facility, the victim sustained fatal injuries and passed away at the scene.

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CHP was first alerted to the solo-vehicle accident shortly before 7 a.m., CHP spokesperson Officer Darren Meyer later reported.

When officials arrived at the scene they found a 2010 Nissan Sentra that had spun off the freeway and down an embankment, where it slammed into a tree. Cal Fire paramedics pronounced the victim and sole occupant from the car deceased at the scene.

The victim’s name has not yet been released, pending notification of the man’s family.

A Rialto man died after he lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a tree while speeding in heavy rain on the eastbound I-10 this morning. CHP-San Gorgonio photo

Officers who investigated the deadly crash determined the driver was heading eastbound on I-10 at approximately 70 mph when the accident occurred.

“At the time of the collision, a significant amount of rain was falling in the area,” Meyer reported. “Other traffic in the area was traveling at 55 mph or less due to the rain and reduced visibility.”

“As the man moved from the #1 lane to the #2 lane to pass slower moving traffic, he lost control of the Nissan,” Meyer explained. “The vehicle spun out of control and went over the south embankment where it collided with a tree.”

CHP’s accident investigation is ongoing and officers have not yet ruled out alcohol and/or drug intoxication as possible contributing factors in the collision.

Officials have cited heavy rainfall and excessive speed as contributing factors in this morning’s fatal wreck. CHP-San Gorgonio photo

Contact the writer: [email protected]

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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