UPDATE: Teen – now identified – critically injured after struck by car on Christmas Eve
- UPDATED: Sunday, Dec. 26, 10:30 a.m., With additional information from Hemet PD.
- CORRECTED: Sunday, Dec. 26, 3:32 p.m., To reflect that the involved vehicle was proceeding into the intersection with a green light, and had not first stopped for a red light as was initially reported in this update.
Originally Published: Saturday, Dec. 25, 5:32 p.m.
HEMET, Calif., — Authorities say a teen was critically injured and remains hospitalized after being struck by a vehicle while riding a bicycle in Hemet on Christmas Eve.
Although officials had initially reported having exhausted all investigative means to identify the victim after the collision late Friday evening, Dec. 24, they updated today that the victim has been identified and his family is now aware of their loved ones’ condition.
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City of Hemet police and fire personnel were dispatched to the area of Devonshire and Sanderson avenues around 11:30 p.m. after receiving reports of a traffic accident involving a passenger vehicle and bicyclist, Hemet PD said in an initial social media release that included a plea for information about the teen’s identity.
When officers and firefighters arrived, they found a critically injured bicyclist still in the roadway, according to officials, who said the teen was unconscious but breathing. The driver of a blue Toyota Camry that struck the bicyclist was also found at the scene.
Paramedics began life-saving efforts at the scene before rushing the teen to an area hospital, where he has been listed in critical condition.
During their subsequent investigation, members of Hemet PD’s Traffic Bureau determined that just before the collision, the driver of the Camry had been traveling southbound on Sanderson Avenue approaching Devonshire Avenue.
The driver – whose name has not been released – proceeded south into the intersection with a green light when they struck the bicyclist within the intersection according to officials, who did not specify which direction the bicyclist had been traveling or if the bicyclist was using a crosswalk when they were struck.
At the time of their initial social media plea for information about the then-unidentified bicyclist, officials described the victim as a Hispanic male about 15 to 18 years old, approximately 5’9” tall, and weighing about 130 pounds. Officials also said the victim was wearing a black ‘hoodie’ sweatshirt, brown belt, and blue jeans; and described two small tattoos on the teen’s left hand.
The driver of the involved vehicle remained at the scene and was determined to be sober at the time of the accident according to officials. The driver has been fully cooperating with Hemet PD’s investigation, which remains active and ongoing.
Anyone with further information about this investigation is encouraged to contact Hemet Police Department at (951) 765-2400. Callers can remain anonymous.
Contact the writer: [email protected]
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.
Part of this story is not what Hemet Police posted in their report that you can view publicly on their Facebook page. No mention of a red light signal. Light was green as the vehicle approached the intersection.
Thank you for that correction, Alejandra. The article has since been corrected and updated.
Best wishes,
-TM
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