Driver who fled fiery Redding wreck hospitalized, faces hit and run charges
REDDING, Calif., — Authorities say a driver who fled the scene of a fiery wreck, which happened last night while a Redding police officer was attempting to stop the man’s speeding vehicle, was hospitalized and now faces criminal charges.
The driver who fled on foot after the accident, which happened on Redbank Road, immediately south of Win-River Resort & Casino, was eventually located hiding down a steep embankment in tall grass along the bank of Clear Creek with help from a CHP aviation crew.
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Last night’s crash happened around 9:15 p.m. after a City of Redding police officer observed a red BMW coupe being driven at a high rate of speed on Redbank Road, Redding Police Corporal Ferrin has since reported.
“The officer turned around and attempted to catch up to make an enforcement stop, but found the vehicle crashed into a cement barrier and engulfed in flames at the dead-end of the road,” Ferrin explained.
Officials say a Redding man was found hiding down a steep embankment along the bank of Clear Creek after crashing into a concrete barrier last night. He was allegedly speeding away from an officer who was attempting to stop the driver when the solo-vehicle crash occurred. Redding PD photo
When officers approached the burning vehicle in an attempt to rescue any occupants, they found the vehicle had already been abandoned.
While firefighters worked to extinguish the vehicle fire, which had begun to spread to nearby vegetation, a CHP Northern Division Air Operations helicopter responded to the area to assist in locating the driver who fled the scene.
CHP’s aviation crew eventually located the registered owner of the BMW approximately 20 to 30 feet down an embankment, hiding amidst tall grass along the bank of Clear Creek. He was later identified as Brandon Culmer, 27, of Redding.
“Officers climbed down and contacted Culmer, who was injured and in a state of shock,” Ferrin explained. “Officers rendered first-aid while the Redding Fire Department assisted with a Low Angle Rope Rescue to safely transport Culmer up the embankment to the ambulance crew, who then transported him to Mercy Medical Center.”
Due to his injuries and the need for continued medical care, Culmer was released to the care of hospital staff, according to Ferrin, who went on to say that the findings of the department’s investigation will be forwarded to the Shasta County District Attorney’s Office for review and consideration of potential hit and run charges.
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Trevor Montgomery, 51, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and operates Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS), which act as stringer-news providers for other mainstream media organizations throughout the two regions they serve.
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.