Distracted driving suspected after driver plows into back of CHP SUV at scene of earlier crash
LAKEVIEW, Calif., — Distracted driving is suspected after a vehicle plowed into the back of a California Highway Patrol SUV whose officer was investigating an earlier collision in the unincorporated community of Lakeview Wednesday afternoon, July 21.
Although it was not immediately known if the officer was inside his vehicle when the collision occurred, he was later seen walking around and continuing his investigation into the first accident, while helping other officers investigate the second crash.
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At 4:08 p.m., a CHP officer notified dispatch that while investigating a collision on the eastbound Ramona Expressway just west of Lakeview, another vehicle had just crashed into his marked patrol SUV and requested additional officers, CAL FIRE/Riverside Fire and AMR to the scene.
It was later determined that the driver of a black Ford Mustang GT was traveling eastbound on the expressway when he suddenly swerved to the right and plowed into the back of the Highway Patrol vehicle while it was parked on the side of the roadway with its overhead lights on.
The Mustang driver did not appear to have been injured and was later seen discussing the crash and providing a statement to investigating officers.
Witnesses later reported seeing the Mustang’s driver looking down at his cell phone just before the collision.
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No further details were available and CHP’s investigation into both crashes is continuing.
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Rudy Jaramillo/SoCal Law Enforcement & Public Safety Community News Group photos
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Trevor Montgomery, 50, 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.