9 people, including 8 staff members, injured after car plows into Mead Valley school
MEAD VALLEY, Calif., — Authorities say nine people, including eight school employees and a driver, were hospitalized after a car plowed through the wall of a Mead Valley school and into an occupied room Wednesday afternoon, March 16. The accident and number of injuries forced a large-scale, multi-agency response, with nearly a dozen ambulances being dispatched to the scene.
No children were injured in the collision, which happened at Tomas Rivera Middle School in the 21600 block of Martin Street, near Clark Street, but the crash did force the campus to go onto lockdown, with all students and teachers being advised to shelter in place for about two hours while officials worked at the scene and secured the heavily damaged room.
Wednesday’s crash was similar to a North State region accident in the City of Anderson that occurred two weeks ago when a vehicle smashed into a day care center occupied by nineteen children and two adults. As reported at the time by RCNS-affiliated sister organization SCNS, two children were found critically injured and trapped underneath the vehicle and all nineteen children and one adult were hospitalized as a result of the accident.
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California Highway Patrol, Cal Fire Riverside, Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, AMR, and other emergency personnel were dispatched to the scene around 1:15 p.m. after receiving multiple 911 calls reporting the crash.
When officials arrived, they found a burgundy Toyota Corolla that had smashed through the wall of one of the buildings, before coming to rest completely inside the large room. RCNS has since learned that the room that was struck was a conference/meeting room that was being used at the time of the collision.
No less than nine ambulance crews responded to the scene of Wednesday’s crash, which injured nine teachers and staff members ad well as the driver. Johnny Lopez – Lone Wolf News and Media photo
Due to the number of injuries, no less than nine ambulances were dispatched to the scene, and a long line of ambulances could be seen staging near the site of the crash while paramedics attended to those injured in the accident.
A total of nine people, eight of whom were reportedly staff-members at the school, were eventually transported to area hospitals for further treatment. The driver was also transported to an area hospital according to Cal Fire, who said three victims suffered moderate injuries, and six suffered minor injuries.
“The preliminary investigation revealed that the driver, for reasons still under investigation, (went) in a southeasterly direction and collided into the building,” CHP Officer Juan Quintero explained.
No students were involved in this crash, and alcohol or drug impairment is not suspected, Quintero said, adding that while no arrests had been made, the investigation is still active and ongoing.
Click any photo to open full-size gallery.
Johnny Lopez – Lone Wolf News and Media photos above, video below.
OnScene TV photos above, video below.
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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). Both are stringer organizations, providing breaking news coverage and community interest stories 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.