Two dead, three injured after Aguanga crash
AGUANGA, Calif. — Two people were killed and three others were hospitalized after a three-vehicle, rollover traffic collision on Highway 79 South just north of Dugan Drive Thursday afternoon, December 3.
The fatal accident happened in the unincorporated county area of Aguanga near Vail Lake, about five miles east of Temecula, according to officials.
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California Highway Patrol, Cal Fire-Riverside and AMR responded to the scene around 2:30 p.m., after receiving reports of a three-vehicle, major-injury traffic collision with rollover and possible entrapment, CHP Officer Maloney wrote in a CHP release after the deadly accident.
When officials arrived they found three involved vehicles blocking both lanes of traffic along SR-79 South.
Although no names have been released, the vehicles and occupants have since been described as a 2002 Honda Pilot with two men, ages 62 and 56, from Anza; a 2013 Jeep Wrangler being driven by a 62-year-old Aguanga man; and a 2017 Nissan Frontier pickup truck, occupied by two men, ages 55 and 52, from Aguanga.
Paramedics discovered two of the men, including a passenger from the Honda and the driver from the Jeep, had already succumbed to their injuries and passed away at the scene.
Neither of the deceased victim’s names have been released, pending further investigation and notification of the men’s families.
The driver of the Honda sustained major injuries and was transported to Inland Valley Medical Center.
Both the driver and passenger from the Nissan sustained moderate injuries, according to Maloney, who said both victims were transported by ground ambulance to Temecula Valley Hospital for further treatment.
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During CHP’s subsequent investigation, Maloney determined that just before the fatal collision, the Honda with it’s two occupants was traveling southbound on SR-79S just north of Dugan Drive.
At the same time the driver of the Jeep was heading northbound on the highway, also just north of Dugan Road, approaching the Honda, and the Nissan was traveling directly behind the Jeep, according to Maloney.
“For reasons which are still under investigation,” the 62-year-old driver of the Honda “allowed (his vehicle) to drift towards the right shoulder of SR-79 South,” according to Maloney; who explained, “(The Honda’s) right side collided into a rock embankment just east of the roadway.”
“The impact with the rock embankment caused (the Honda) to roll over towards the northbound traffic lane directly into (the Jeep’s) path of travel,” Maloney continued.
Unable to avoid a collision, the Jeep plowed into the Honda as it was overturning.
The initial impact sent the Honda careening directly into the path of the oncoming Nissan, causing the pickup truck to crash into it.
During their investigation, officials called for the temporary closure of the highway, and the roadway was reopened several hours later.
CHP – Temecula Area Station is conducting this investigation, which is active and ongoing.
This is a developing story that will be updated as new information becomes available.
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Trevor Montgomery, 49, 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 30 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 18 grandchildren.
This is sad and I’m not trying to split hairs here, but this part was confusing, since I thought the Nissan WAS the pickup truck.. “The initial impact then caused the Honda to careen directly in the path of the Nissan, where the pickup truck and Nissan crashed into each other.”
Hi Jill,
Thank you for expressing your confusion at the way the article was written. It was not only confusing, it got two of the vehicles mixed up and was outright wrong.
I have since corrected the article to read:
“The impact with the rock embankment caused (the Honda) to roll over towards the northbound traffic lane directly into (the Jeep’s) path of travel,” Maloney continued.
Unable to avoid a collision, the Jeep plowed into the Honda as it was overturning.
The initial impact sent the Honda careening directly into the path of the oncoming Nissan, causing the pickup truck to crash into it.
Thank you again and best wishes,
-TM
Ah, makes sense now, thank you!
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