Medical crisis may have led to fatal Hemet crash
HEMET — Officials investigating the cause of a minor, single-vehicle accident in Hemet earlier this evening suspect the driver may have suffered a medical crisis just before crashing into an electrical box and tree inside a senior living community. The victim of the crash later passed away after being rushed to a Murrieta area hospital.
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City of Hemet Police and Fire Departments along with AMR medics were dispatched to Lakes at Hemet West at 5001 W. Florida Ave., after receiving reports of an elderly male who crashed outside a home within the community while possibly suffering a medical crisis.
911 callers reported the man was unconscious inside his locked car and that his foot was on the gas pedal, causing the car’s rear wheels to continue spinning.
Officers were forced to break a window to gain access to an unconscious driver believed to be suffering a medical crisis. The victim later passed away. Miguel Shannon photo
When officers arrived at the scene they found a blue Ford SUV wedged against a heavily-damaged electrical box and small palm tree. The vehicle’s rear wheels were still spinning, due to the unconscious victim’s foot still being on the SUV’s accelerator.
Officers who tried to open the vehicle’s doors found them locked and officials eventually shattered the driver’s side, rear window so they could gain access to the still unconscious victim. After getting into the SUV, officers turned off the vehicle and pulled the unresponsive man from inside the car.
As firefighters and paramedics were beginning to arrive, officers immediately began performing CPR and continued until medical personnel took over life-saving efforts.
Paramedics were continuing life-saving efforts when AMR rushed the victim to an area hospital, where he later passed away.
The victim’s name has not yet been released, pending notification of the man’s family.
It was not immediately known if the victim was a resident at the community where the accident happened.
Hemet PD’s crash investigation is active and ongoing.
This is a developing story that will be updated as new information becomes available.
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Miguel Shannon photos
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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.
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