Hemet woman killed in Cathedral City crash

CATHEDRAL CITY — A Hemet driver was killed and her male passenger is in critical condition after a solo-vehicle crash in Cathedral City early Monday morning, Nov. 25. The deadly crash happened at Dinah Shore, east of Cathedral Canyon.

LEADING THE RCNS HEADLINES:

I-15 big-rig blaze causes major delays

Hit by car in Hemet, boy suffers broken leg, other injuries

Officer slashed during violent encounter with knife-wielding woman

Cathedral City police and fire personnel were dispatched to the scene of the crash just after midnight, after receiving reports of a single vehicle traffic collision.

When officials arrived they found a heavily-damaged silver car that had smashed into a cement structure on the center median.

Annette Sepulveda, 47, of Hemet died after a solo-vehicle crash in Cathedral City that left her male passenger hospitalized in critical condition.

The female driver, later identified as 47-year-old, Annette Sepulveda, succumbed to her injuries at the scene and was pronounced deceased by Cathedral City Fire Department Paramedics.

A Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner’s release later indicated Sepulveda passed away at the scene of the crash at 12:31 a.m.

A male passenger from Sepulveda’s vehicle suffered major injuries in the wreck and was transported to a local hospital where he is listed in critical condition.

Based on the circumstances, Cathedral City PD’s Traffic Bureau responded to the scene and assumed the investigation.

During their preliminary investigation, officers determined Sepulveda had been traveling east on Dinah Shore at a high rate of speed when she lost control of her vehicle and plowed head-on with the center divider.

Officials have not yet determined if alcohol or drug intoxication were contributing factors in the deadly collision and officers are still in the process of completing their investigation.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact the Cathedral City Police Department’s Traffic Bureau at (760)770-0300 or [email protected].

This is a developing story that will be updated as new information is available.

---

This article sponsored by:

Voted Best Independent Sandwich Shop in the Inland Empire by The Press-Enterprise readers choice. Centrally located on N Harvard St in the heart of Downtown Hemet, enjoy over 30 different sandwiches and premium salads. Our coffee is made from locally roasted, Organic Coffee Beans from Idyllwild Coffee Roasters. Come taste the difference that is Downtown Deli & Coffee Company. For more information, visit Downtown Deli & Coffee Co. on Facebook.

---

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 48, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, (the now defunct) Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; 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 29 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 16 grandchildren.