More details released after fatal Hemet motorcycle crash

June 19, 2021 Trevor Montgomery

UPDATED: Saturday, June 19, 9 a.m., With additional details from Hemet PD.

HEMET, Calif. — Authorities say a motorcyclist who was speeding nearly twice the legal posted speed limit and may have been trying to elude officers was killed when he ran a red light and smashed into another vehicle at high speed early yesterday morning, Friday, June 18.

The deadly crash, which left the motorcycle unrecognizable and another car heavily-damaged and undriveable, happened at the intersection of Florida Avenue and Girard Street, according to Hemet PD. Department officials have since said that although one of their Sergeants was trying to catch up with the motorcyclist, he was not in pursuit of the rider when the fatal accident occurred.

LEADING THE RCNS HEADLINES:
Shot twice stopping Hemet O’Reilly’s robbery, victim describes traumatizing ordeal
More details released after pursuit ends in fatal Temecula deputy-involved shooting
BREAKING: San Jacinto City Councilmember arrested, booked on multiple charges
Investigation continuing after man found hanging from Beaumont bridge
Fatally struck while walking in Canyon Lake, Riverside man, 29, ID’d

At around 6:23 a.m., a City of Hemet Police Sergeant was patrolling Florida Avenue near Santa Fe Street when he observed a motorcyclist traveling east on Florida Avenue, Hemet PD has since said of the deadly crash.

“The sergeant observed the motorcycle rider, later identified as 37-year-old, David Young, of Hemet, traveling at approximately 75 miles per hour as he rode east on Florida Avenue toward Girard Street,” officials explained.

As the Sergeant attempted to catch up with Young, who continued accelerating away from him, the official witnessed the rider fail to stop for a red traffic signal at Florida Avenue and Girard Street.

As Young entered the intersection at nearly 80 mph, he plowed into the front, passenger side of a white Chevrolet Cruz that was traveling south on Girard Street on a green traffic signal.

The impact with the passenger vehicle launched Young from his motorcycle, ejecting him onto the roadway.

In the immediate aftermath of the collision, witnesses and good Samaritans, along with officers and others, immediately ran to the aid of the downed and critically injured rider and were seen performing CPR on him.

“Unfortunately, Mr. Young did not survive the collision and was pronounced dead at the scene,” said Hemet PD. “The other driver, a 26-year-old Hemet woman, was not injured in the crash.

Florida Avenue was closed to eastbound traffic from San Jacinto Street to Girard Street for approximately six hours while the collision investigation was conducted.

Hemet PD’s investigation is continuing and officials have not yet said if alcohol and/or drug intoxication were possible contributing factors in the fatal crash.

Click any image to open full-size gallery.

Robert Carter/Public Safety Incidents (Reader Submitted) photos

native advertising

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.