Menifee man, 38, ID’d after fatally struck by vehicle following I-215 collision

RIVERSIDE, Calif., — Authorities say a Menifee man was killed after he was struck by a vehicle just moments after an earlier collision on the southbound I-215 south of Columbia Avenue early Friday morning, Jan. 7.

Witnesses later told investigating California Highway Patrol officers that following the initial crash the victim had exited his vehicle and was standing in the lanes of travel when he was struck by another oncoming vehicle.

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CHP and other emergency personnel were dispatched to the scene around 2:20 a.m., after receiving reports of a multi-vehicle collision.

While responding to the scene, officers received updated reports that a man who had been involved in the initial crash had been struck by another vehicle after exiting his vehicle following the first collision.

CHP has said that a man who was involved in a collision on I-215 in Riverside was fatally struck by another vehicle after he exited his wrecked vehicle and was standing in the lanes of travel. Rod Arv photo

When officials arrived, they found the victim down in the number one lane of the freeway with major, life-threatening injuries.

He was rushed to Riverside Community Hospital where, despite extensive life-saving efforts, he succumbed to his injuries and passed away several hours later.

The Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office has since identified 38-year-old Spencer Smith as the man killed in the collision. a Coroner’s release indicated he was pronounced deceased at 5:36 a.m.

CHP’s investigation is ongoing 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.