Victims, 56 & 23, ID’d after fatal Winchester head-on crash

January 26, 2020 Trevor Montgomery

UPDATED: Thursday, Jan. 30, 8 a.m.

See Original Story below.

WINCHESTER — Officials have released the names of two drivers who were killed in a head-on collision in Winchester last Friday morning, Jan. 24. The fatal wreck happened around 1 a.m., on Winchester Rd., just north of Scott Rd.

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Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner officials have since identified 56-year-old, Hemet resident Eva Barro and 23-year-old, Jesus Giron Araiza, from Mexico, as the victims killed in the crash.

A coroner’s release indicated both drivers were pronounced deceased at 1:15 a.m.

CHP’s investigation into the cause of the deadly crash is ongoing.

Original Story: Two dead after Winchester head-on crash

WINCHESTER — Two drivers were killed in a two-vehicle, head-on crash in Winchester early Friday morning, Jan. 24, according to the Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire officials.

The fatal crash, which happened on Winchester Rd., just north of Scott Rd., was the first of two deadly accidents in southwest Riverside County Friday that killed a total of four people.

The other fatal collision happened around 10 p.m., when a speeding motorist caused a three vehicle wreck that killed two sisters, Benita Hayden and Tina Slatten, and seriously injured their mother, Sharon Waldman. Waldman remains hospitalized in critical condition suffering from internal bleeding as well as 2 broken legs and 2 broken ankles, according to family members.

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CHP and Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire, along with AMR and other emergency personnel, were dispatched to the collision shortly after 1 a.m., Cal Fire officials later reported via social media.

When firefighters arrived they found two heavily-damaged vehicles, with extensive wreckage and debris blocking the roadway. The cars, described as a black pickup truck and light-colored Honda CR-V sustained major front end damage, leaving both motorists and sole-occupants trapped inside their vehicles.

Paramedics quickly determined both drivers had succumbed to their injuries and both were pronounced deceased at the scene.

Officials have not released the names of either victims, pending further investigation and notification of their respective families.

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Due to extensive damage to the two vehicles, firefighters were forced to use the “Jaws of Life” to extricate the deceased victims from their two vehicles, which were later towed from the scene.

The crash and subsequent investigation and cleanup forced the temporary closure of the northbound lanes of Winchester Rd. at Scott Rd. The southbound lanes of Winchester Rd. remained open, according to CHP, whose officers are investigating the cause of the crash.

Their investigation is ongoing.

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

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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.