Struck and left for dead on Christmas day, teen’s slow recovery continuing
HEMET, Calif. — When Frank Aguirre watched his 16-year-old daughter ride off with her boyfriend on a new mini-bike he had just received that Christmas morning, he never could have imagined the tragedy that would follow just a short time later. “My worst nightmare came true that Christmas day,” Frank told RCNS, while talking about what happened to his daughter that fateful evening.
Within minutes of riding off on her boyfriend’s mini-bike, Frank’s daughter, Jaylene, lay critically injured and clinging to life along the side of the roadway, after she and her boyfriend were struck by the driver of a pickup truck that never slowed down or stopped and left Jaylene for dead. Having suffered injuries himself, all her boyfriend could do was sit there in the road holding and comforting Jaylene while hoping someone would find them quickly.
The driver who callously fled the scene of the Christmas day collision has still not been identified or located and sheriff’s officials say their investigation into the hit and run is continuing.
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City of Hemet Police and Fire personnel who responded to the intersection of W. Menlo and N. Sanderson avenues that evening were shocked to see the severity of Jaylene’s traumatic injuries. Based on her life-threatening condition, a Mercy Air ambulance was launched to the Hemet-Ryan airport, where an AMR ambulance crew helped transfer her into the airship to be life-flighted to a trauma center at Loma Linda Hospital in San Bernardino.
Hit and left for dead on the side of the road while riding with her boyfriend on a new mini-bike he had just gotten for Christmas that day, Jaylene is continuing to recover and has been removed from all life support devices, according to her father, Frank Aguirre. Aguirre family photos
Over the next several days Jaylene’s family haunted the hallways and waiting areas of the hospital where Jaylene lay in critical condition and on life support – sedated, intubated, unconscious, and unable to communicate with them.
She was diagnosed as having suffered a traumatic brain injury with severe swelling on her brain. She also had multiple broken bones from her hips down to her legs and ankles, as well as many other injuries.
“Jaylene has the biggest heart and is such a positive person to be with,” Marlene Aguirre Mason told RCNS of her young niece in the days immediately after the hit and run. “She’s always helping out with the family.”
“This happened so fast. It all feels like a bad nightmare and our family is beyond devastated,” Jaylene’s aunt said at the time.
“These kids did not deserve this. They have their whole lives ahead of them,” Aguirre Mason angrily added.
Over the next few days, as she continued to lay unconscious, Jaylene had several surgeries on her femur, which was broke in several places; and her ankles, which now have screws and hardware holding them together as they heal. She also has staples and stitches all over her body, face and head, according to her father.
However, just before New Year’s eve Jaylene’s condition began to improve and after regaining consciousness she was slowly able to begin interacting with overjoyed family members.
“She’s finally making miraculous improvements,” Frank excitedly told RCNS this week. “She’s off all support devices and she’s talking and showing real signs of improvement.”
“But her waking up confirmed our fears of a serious brain injury,” Frank added.
“Jaylene has good days and bad days,” Frank described; adding his daughter still cannot see out of her left eye and often forgets the names of her family members or long-time friends. “She gets really emotional one day and scared the next day, but then there’s days she seems calm,” explained Frank.
“Because of her brain injury, Jaylene gets very upset and afraid when she can’t recognize people or recall the names family members and long-time friends,” Frank said; adding, “She also can’t see out of her left eye, which we are hoping is a temporary problem that will fix itself as the swelling in her brain slowly continues going down.”
“Seeing her hurting like that has really been hard for her mom and I, especially when she forgets who we are or can’t remember the names of her siblings, friends, or other family members.”
“She has good days and bad days,” Frank described; saying, “She gets really emotional one day and scared the next day, but then there’s days she seems calm.”
“It’s been a real roller coaster ride for us,” Frank said, while adding that both he and his wife are currently out of work due to the nearly year-long COVID-19 pandemic and public health crisis.
To add further strain and stress to Jaylene’s situation and ongoing recovery, her father and mother had another child just days before Christmas and due to her brain injury, Jaylene has come to believe her parent’s baby is hers.
“She thinks she had the baby and she gets very emotional and doesn’t seem to understand when we try to clarify the situation for her,” Frank described.
SEE ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Teen remains critical, unresponsive, after Christmas day hit and run
Jaylene’s father says that his daughter’s next step will be going to a long-term care and rehab facility soon to continue her healing and recovery process.
“We’re not sure of how long she will be there, but we’ve been told that Jaylene is facing a very long and difficult road to recovery, especially due to the severity of her brain injury,” Frank explained. “Until we find out what’s going to happen with her rehabilitation it’s hard juggling everything, especially with us having a newborn baby and the other kids to deal with.”
As far as the person responsible for hitting Jaylene and her boyfriend the driver has still not been apprehended. Witnesses have described the hit and run vehicle as a 2015 to 2018 grey Toyota Tundra with possible front-end damage.
“I just really wish the driver would have been caught by now but I know the sheriff’s investigation is continuing and they are trying to identify the person,” Frank said with disappointment, while admitting he still harbors a lot of anger at the driver who left his critically injured daughter and her boyfriend on the side of the road.
“There’s so much I want to say to the driver who fled, starting with, ‘Why didn’t you just stop and do the right thing?’,” Frank explained. “You left my baby girl and her boyfriend for dead in the road as if they were worthless roadkill.”
“Picture yourself having to drive up to a scene where your child was a victim of a hit and run and you don’t know if your child is dead or alive,” Frank continued.
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“It’s been really emotionally tough but we’re just trying to hang on for the most part and pray for a quick and full recovery,” Frank said.
“We’re also humbled and thankful for all the support from our family, friends and community,” added Frank. “It really has been helping take some of the stress of us for now and and we’re forever grateful for everyone who has reached out and offered us help and support as well as their love and continued prayers.”
“Mostly, we’re just thankful that Jaylene is still here with us and for all the recovery she’s already made.”
As Jaylene continues her long road to recovery, her family has created a GoFundMe account seeking financial assistance to help cover Jaylene’s extensive medical costs. As of this update the family had raised more than $9,700 toward their original $10,000 goal.
Hemet PD is asking that anyone who may have witnessed this collision or who has information regarding the driver who fled the scene to contact the Hemet Police Department at (951) 765-2400. Callers can remain anonymous.
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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 KRCR News Channel 7 and Mountain Echo in Shasta County, Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego 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.
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