Second victim, 67, dies after four-vehicle rollover wreck in San Jacinto that killed Nuevo man, 88
SAN JACINTO, Calif., — Authorities today were saddened to announce that a second person has died as a result of a four-vehicle rollover collision that happened in San Jacinto two weeks ago. The now double-fatal crash, which had already claimed the life of an 88-year-old Nuevo man, happened near the border of San Jacinto and Lakeview early Thursday morning, March 17.
As reported by RCNS last week, this collision was the second fatal accident to occur on Ramona Expressway on the same day, with the other collision happening about four miles to the west in the area of Ramona Expressway and Hansen Avenue around forty minutes earlier. The earlier crash, which was the result of excessive speed, illegal passing, and impatient driving, resulted in the death of a 21-year-old San Jacinto man, according to officials.
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Details initially released in the aftermath of this deadly crash revealed that a truck with a small trailer attached was traveling eastbound on Ramona Expressway when traffic stopped in front of him. The driver of the truck veered left into the westbound lanes of Ramona Expressway to avoid colliding into vehicles stopped in front of him.
“This caused to driver of the truck to collide into a black Jeep Wrangler stopped in front of him, a Nissan Frontier traveling westbound on Ramona Expressway, and into a white Jeep Wrangler, also traveling westbound on Ramona Expressway,” Riverside Sheriff’s Sergeant Dawn Blair reported last week.
Both of the now-deceased drivers of the truck and white Jeep Wrangler had to be extricated from the vehicles by Cal Fire – Riverside firefighters and both drivers were transported to area hospitals in critical condition.
Despite extensive life-saving efforts by hospital staff at Riverside University Health System Medical Center in Moreno Valley, the driver of the pickup truck, 88-year-old, Francisco Salgado, of Nuevo, was pronounced deceased later that day by medical personnel.
After lingering in critical condition for the last eight days, the driver of the white Jeep succumbed to his injuries while continuing to receive treatment at the Riverside Community Hospital.
The Riverside County Sheriff – Coroner’s Office today identified Steven Hutchinson, 67, of San Jacinto, as the second man to die as a result of the crash. A Coroner’s release indicated he was pronounced deceased just over a week after the collision, at 2:36 p.m. on March 25.
SEE RELATED:
San Jacinto man, 21, ID’d after fatal Ramona Expressway head-on collision in Nuevo
Authorities have said neither drugs nor alcohol intoxication appeared to be factors in the deadly collision and their investigation is continuing.
Anyone with further information regarding this investigation is urged to contact the Riverside County Sheriff’s San Jacinto Station at (951) 654-2702. Callers can refer to incident file number I220760012 and can remain anonymous.
Contact the writer: [email protected]
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.