One dead after fiery, five-vehicle Gilman Springs wreck
RIVERSIDE COUNTY, Calif. — One person was killed several others were injured in a five-vehicle crash in an unincorporated area between the cities of San Jacinto and Moreno Valley, after a pickup truck smashed head-on into a big rig Sunday evening, May 17.
The deadly collision, which led to a chain of other crashes, happened on Gilman Springs Rd., near the intersection of Eden Hot Springs Rd., according to authorities who are continuing to investigate the cause of the fatal collision.
Sunday’s crash was the second deadly accident on Gilman Springs Rd. in the last two weeks, after a 17-year-old Calimesa girl was killed May 4. The teen killed in the accident and another passenger were ejected onto the roadway when an SUV overturned multiple times, officials said at the time.
The driver of the earlier solo-vehicle crash was later arrested for DUI, hit and run, and other charges, after officers determined the 18-year-old Lomita resident was fleeing the scene of an earlier crash. The two accidents happened just a few miles apart.
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CHP, Cal Fire, and other emergency personnel were dispatched to the scene of the crash around 10:47 p.m., after receiving reports of a major injury accident, CHP has since reported.
911 callers told emergency dispatchers that the big rig involved in the collision burst into flames and that at least one person was critically injured and trapped inside one of the involved vehicles.
One person was killed and several other were injured after a pickup truck and big rig collided head on Sunday night. Hemet Valley Incidents photo
When officials arrived they found five vehicles that were involved in the crash, including a white pickup truck and tractor-trailer semi-truck.
The big rig was still engulfed in flames when authorities arrived but firefighters quickly managed to knock down the blaze, according to Cal Fire; who also reported that one person was fatally injured and declared deceased at the scene.
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It was not immediately known which vehicle that person was in at the time of the crash and the name of the victim has not yet been released, pending further investigation and notification of the victim’s family.
Officials are still investigating the cause of Sunday’s fatal head-on crash, which caused a big rig to burst into flames. Hemet Valley Incidents photo
Paramedics evaluated and treated five other victims at the scene, none of whom required further medical attention.
CHP is continuing to investigate the cause of Sunday’s deadly crash.
This is a developing story that will be updated as new information is available.
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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.