Winchester motorcyclist, 22, killed in Menifee head-on crash

MENIFEE — A Winchester motorcyclist was killed after plowing head-on into a passenger van that turned in front of the victim’s motorcycle in Menifee Sunday, Feb. 23. The deadly accident happened on the 27000 block of State Hwy 74 at 3rd St., according to officials.

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Deputies from the Perris Sheriff’s Station, along with Cal Fire and other emergency personnel, were dispatched to the scene of the crash around 3 p.m., after receiving reports of a two-vehicle, major injury collision involving a motorcycle and passenger van.

When officials arrived they found the motorcyclist down in the roadway suffering from major traumatic injuries. Despite life-saving efforts, the victim succumbed to his injuries and passed away at the scene, according to law enforcement and fire personnel.

Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner officials later identified the victim as 22-year-old, Raul Hernandez, of Winchester. A coroner’s release indicated the motorcyclist was pronounced deceased just minutes after the crash, at 3:14 p.m.

Officials say a motorcyclist was fatally injured in a head-on crash with a passenger van after the van turned onto SR-74 directly in front of the rider. Alex Cruz/Inland Empire News Network photo

Deputies who investigated the cause of the deadly accident determined Hernandez was riding his motorcycle westbound on SR-74 when another motorist made a left turn from 3rd St. onto the highway. The driver of the van pulled out directly into the path of the rider, according to officials; who said Hernandez was unable to stop in time and crashed head-on into the van, causing him to be thrown from his motorcycle onto the roadway where he later died.

Hwy 74 was closed for several hours while deputies investigated the cause of the collision.

Alcohol and/or drug intoxication do not appear to be contributing factors in the fatal crash, according to sheriff’s officials, who are continuing to investigate the accident.

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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.