Hit and run kills Elsinore skateboarder, 19 – Victim ID’d
LAKE ELSINORE — A young Lake Elsinore man has died after being run over and dragged by a hit and run driver in Lake Elsinore late Wednesday evening, June 12. The victim was fatally hit while riding his skateboard on the 19600 block of Palomar Street, near the city’s Serenity Skatepark.
LEADING THE RCNS HEADLINES:
Hemet woman, 61, killed after vehicle hit broadside
Deputies assigned to Lake Elsinore Police Department responded to the hit and run traffic collision just before 11 p.m., Riverside Sheriff’s Sgt. Steve Jimenez later reported.
When officials arrived they found a skateboarder who had been hit and critically injured by an unknown driver who fled the scene after the collision. The victim was rushed to Inland Valley Medical Center, where he succumbed to his injuries a short time later.
Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner officials have since identified Daniel Hernandez, 19, of Lake Elsinore, as the man killed in the hit and run collision. A coroner’s release indicated Hernandez passed away after being rushed to the hospital and he was pronounced deceased at 11:39 p.m.
Based on the circumstances, members of Lake Elsinore PD’s Traffic Team responded to the scene and assumed the investigation.
During their investigation, deputies learned Hernandez had been riding his skateboard near the westbound bicycle lane of Palomar Rd., when he was struck by a vehicle traveling in the westbound lane, according to Jimenez; who said, “The driver briefly slowed and then continued west on Palomar Rd.”
According to witnesses, Hernandez was dragged some distance down Palomar St., before his body came loose from the vehicle, which then fled from the scene without stopping or rendering aid to the mortally injured skater. The vehicle was described by witnesses as an older white SUV with black rims and no license plates.
One witness, Paul Flores of Lake Elsinore later posted a live video to social media in which the sobbing man can be heard pleading for information related to the driver who fled the scene of the deadly collision.
“They ran over my skater,” Flores says of Hernandez’ death while crying inconsolably. “They dragged him down the street… if anyone sees an older white (SUV)… with no license plates, with black rims, please call the sheriff’s department… I need help, please.”
Alcohol and/or drug intoxication have not yet been ruled out as contributing factors in yesterday’s deadly collision, which forced the closure of Palomar St. for about three hours.
The sheriff’s investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with further information about this investigation is encouraged to contact Deputy Petersen at the Lake Elsinore Station, (951) 245-3300. Callers can refer to incident file number L191630149 and can remain anonymous. Citizens may also submit a tip using the Sheriff’s CrimeTips online form.
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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