Hemet & Anza men ID’d after deadly Whitewater crash

WHITEWATER, Calif., — Although very few details have been released, coroner officials have identified two men, including one from Hemet and another from Anza, who were killed in a solo-vehicle rollover traffic accident in the unincorporated Whitewater area early Friday evening, Sept. 24.

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California Highway Patrol, Cal Fire-Riverside, and other emergency personnel were dispatched to the eastbound I-10, west of SR-62 around 4:55 p.m. after receiving reports of a crash.

When officials arrived they found a vehicle overturned and on its roof in a field strewn with large boulders down an embankment off the highway and firefighter/paramedics ultimately determined two men were killed in the accident.

Officials have identified Derrick Laub, 33, of Hemet, and Thomas Blosser, 31, of Anza, as the victims killed in Friday’s crash near Whitewater. KESQ News photo

The Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner Office has since identified Derrick Laub, 33, of Hemet, and Thomas Blosser, 31, of Anza, as the victims killed in the accident. A coroner’s release indicated Laub was pronounced deceased at 5:10 p.m., while Blosser passed away about ten minutes later at 5:20 p.m.

The accident caused traffic to quickly back up beyond the Hwy 111 cutoff, with area residents and commuters reporting lengthy delays in their travel times.

CHP is continuing to investigate the cause of the deadly crash and no further details were immediately available.

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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.

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