Apple Valley woman, 65, dies after run over by own vehicle at Sage campground
SAGE, Calif., — Authorities say a woman was killed when she was run over by her own pickup truck at a rural RV park and campsite in the unincorporated community of Sage, south of Hemet, early Tuesday morning, Jan. 4.
According to witnesses, the victim was in the process of loading her dogs into her vehicle after failing to place the truck in park, when it suddenly reversed – knocking her to the ground and running her over.
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California Highway Patrol, Cal Fire – Riverside, and other emergency personnel were dispatched to the Tucalota Springs RV Resort & Campground, located at 41601 E. Benton Road, shortly before 7 a.m., CHP Officer Mike Lassig has since said of the fatal accident.
When officials arrived, they found the victim, identified only as a 65-year-old Apple Valley woman, under the left front wheel of a 2015 GMC Canyon pickup truck, according to Lassig.
She was pronounced deceased at the scene by Cal Fire paramedics.
During their subsequent investigation, officers determined the victim had exited her pickup truck but failed to place the vehicle in park, inadvertently leaving the truck in reverse, when she exited the driver’s side door, according to Lassig.
The victim’s vehicle then traveled in reverse, knocking her to the ground, where she was fatally pinned under the front, driver’s side wheel.
Two dogs the victim was reportedly attempting to place into her pickup truck when she was run over were uninjured in the deadly accident and were later turned over to a friend or family member of the victim at the scene, Lassig went on to say.
CHP’s investigation is continuing, and the victim’s name will be released by the Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office after family notification has been made.
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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.