Transient fatally crushed after breaking into trailer at Riverside thrift store

May 24, 2021 Trevor Montgomery

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Authorities say a man was fatally crushed by a bale of clothes after he forced entry into a thrift store trailer in Riverside Saturday, May 22.

Officials believe the man was crushed after gaining access into the trailer, which was parked outside the Savers thrift store at 3900 Tyler Street.

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City of Riverside police and fire personnel were dispatched to the scene around 6:30 a.m. after receiving reports of an unresponsive man who was found inside the trailer by employees, the Riverside Police Officer Ryan Railsback has since said.

When officials arrived they found the victim, believed to be a local transient, unresponsive. Firefighters determined he had already passed away and pronounced him deceased at the scene, according to Railsback.

Investigating officers determined that the man, whose name has not been publicly released, forced his way into the trailer, where large and heavy stacks of baled clothing were being stored.

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“He may have been climbing over them to access merchandise to the front of the trailer when the bales fell and crushed him. … It looks like it’s an accidental death,” said Railsback.

Riverside PD’s investigation is continuing.

This is a developing story that will be updated as new information becomes available.

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Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 49, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).

Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County-based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.

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.