UPDATE: DUI and excessive speed cited in Lake Elsinore crash that killed Murrieta man
UPDATED: Monday, Jan. 31, 3:22 p.m., With additional details and arrest information.
Originally Published: Sunday, Jan. 30, 10:13 a.m.
LAKE ELSINORE, Calif., — Authorities say a local man was killed in a solo-vehicle rollover traffic crash in the Tuscany Hills community of Lake Elsinore late Friday evening, Jan. 28. The fatal crash happened on Summerhill Drive, about a half-mile north of Railroad Canyon Road.
Officials say the driver of the car, who sustained minor injuries in the crash, was determined to be under the influence of alcohol and he was later arrested.
LEADING THE RCNS HEADLINES:
Mother dead, 2 young children and father injured, after car plunges more than 100 feet down Anza embankment
Sheriff’s CSO & 3 arrestees hospitalized after Riverside DUI hit and run flips transport van – Man later arrested
UPDATE: Hemet K-9 injured during apprehension of murder suspect accused of shooting family member
Although shot multiple times, deputy returns fire killing armed suspect in Coachella
Trio of Homeland family members arrested after Lake Elsinore road rage shooting
Nuevo woman, 65, ID’d after fatal head-on collision in Mead Valley
Deputies from the Lake Elsinore Sheriff’s Station, along with Cal Fire – Riverside and other emergency personnel, were dispatched to the scene around 10:30 p.m., Riverside Sheriff’s Sergeant Brad Foster has since said of the deadly crash and subsequent arrest.
Officials began arriving at the scene within minutes and located a dark-colored sedan that had crashed into a light pole and overturned. The wrecked car was found on its roof amidst thick foliage adjacent to Summerhill Drive near Corte Seriui.
Deputies and firefighters work at the scene of Friday night’s deadly crash in the Tuscany Hills community of Lake Elsinore that killed a Murrieta man. Rivco News photo
The vehicle could barely be seen from the roadway and firefighters and other emergency responders had a difficult time accessing the interior of the vehicle, due to the thick bushes the vehicle came to rest in. Once they gained access to the car they found two occupants who were trapped and injured and both had to be extricated by Cal Fire.
Although the driver was transported to the hospital by AMR with minor injuries, the passenger succumbed to his injuries and passed away at the scene.
The Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office has since identified Julian Munoz, 24, of Murrieta, as the man killed in the crash. A Coroner’s release indicated he was pronounced deceased by paramedics at 10:48 p.m.
Based on the circumstances, members of the Lake Elsinore Traffic Collision Reconstruction Team responded to the location to investigate the cause of the fatal crash.
During their subsequent investigation, deputies determined the driver, Austin Pierce McClusky, 23, of Escondido, was traveling at a high rate of speed south on Summerhill Drive when he lost control of the vehicle and smashed into a cement light pole.
The impact sent the car careening off the roadway where it overturned, ultimately coming to rest on its roof in a drainage ditch along the side of the roadway.
SEE ALSO – FROM COMMUNITY NEWS:
Temecula announces Grand Opening of highly anticipated Sports Ranch at Sommers Bend
Kaiser Permanente to Build Medical Office Building in Baxter Village Mixed-Use Project
Religion Today: Remaining Calm in an Angry World – How Some Cope
McClusky was determined to be intoxicated and he was arrested. After being released from the hospital he was booked into the Cois Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta on suspicion of felony DUI/gross vehicular manslaughter and DUI resulting in injuries.
Online jail records indicate he was released within hours of being booked after posting $75,000 bail or bond. He is scheduled to be arraigned at the Southwest Justice Center on April 27.
Anyone who may have witnessed this accident is encouraged to contact Deputy Holland at (951) 245-3000, or the Riverside County Sheriff’s Dispatch at (951) 776-1099. Callers can refer to incident file number L22028112 and can remain anonymous.
Click any image to open full-size gallery.
RivcoNews photos
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.
Pingback: Fall near Tahquitz Peak in Idyllwild leads to victim’s death – Riverside County News Source