UPDATE: Two of three Banning teens ID’d, fourth teen remains hospitalized after deadly Palm Springs crash

May 26, 2021 Trevor Montgomery

UPDATED: Wednesday, May 26, 10:20 a.m., With coroner’s releases of information.

Originally Published: Monday, May 23, 5:26 p.m.

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — The California Highway Patrol has confirmed that three minors were killed and another juvenile was seriously injured and remains hospitalized after a single-vehicle rollover crash in Palm Springs Friday evening. Two of the minors died at the scene of the crash, while the third juvenile later passed away at an area hospital. All four victims were reportedly from the Banning-Beaumont area, officials have said.

The fatal crash happened Friday evening, May 21, near Highway 111 and Overture Drive, east of the I-10 exit, according to officials.

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Emergency personnel were dispatched to the scene around 8 p.m. after receiving report of a solo-vehicle rollover accident, CHP Officer Espinosa later reported.

When officials arrived they found an overturned vehicle with four victims. All were juveniles, according to Espinosa.

The wrecked vehicle, an older model Dodge according to CHP, was found in a dirt field approximately 200 feet from the highway. The vehicle appeared to have overturned multiple times. Another damaged vehicle that was not involved in the initial crash was also found nearby.

Despite life-saving efforts, two of the teens succumbed to their injuries and both were pronounced deceased at the scene.

Two other minors were rushed to Desert Regional Medical Center where one of them later passed away.

Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner officials have since identified Jazmen Marie Thomas, 16, of Banning, and Dennis Leonard Savard II, 17, of Banning, as the two juveniles who died at the scene of the crash.

A coroner’s release indicated Thomas was pronounced deceased at 8:14 p.m., while Savard was pronounced deceased at 8:30 p.m.

No information about the third juvenile who perished was immediately available and no updates have been provided for the fourth victim who is expected to survive, according to CHP.

Espinosa has since said speeding was a contributing factor in the crash and that a passing Tesla was damaged when it struck debris that had been scattered across the highway after the initial crash.

CHP’s investigation is ongoing and officials have not released any further information.

This is still 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 (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.