Murrieta motorcyclist, 34, ID’d after fatal Ortega Highway crash

UPDATED WITH CORRECTION: Monday, March 28, 3:45 p.m.

Although initial reports indicated this collision took place at the Lake Elsinore Vista Point scenic overlook, where it is clearly marked that left-hand turns are illegal, CHP has since confirmed that this accident occurred outside the Lookout Roadhouse, where left-hand turns into that business’s parking lot are lawful.

LAKE ELSINORE, Calif., — Authorities say a motorcyclist has died after colliding with a van on Hwy. 74 Sunday morning, March 27.

Although initial reports indicated this collision took place at the Lake Elsinore Vista Point, it has since been confirmed that the fatal collision happened when a motorist was struck from behind by the rider, while waiting to make a legal left-hand turn into the Lookout Roadhouse parking lot, just southeast of the Lake Elsinore Vista Point.

Both Vista Point and the Lookout Roadhouse are popular spots for motorists to enjoy a brief respite from their travels while looking down from the Ortega Highway toward the city of Lake Elsinore below.

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California Highway Patrol – Temecula, Cal Fire – Riverside, and other emergency personnel were dispatched to the scene around 11 a.m. after receiving multiple reports of a two-vehicle collision involving a motorcyclist and van.

When officials arrived, they confirmed finding a critically injured motorcyclist down in the roadway with witnesses and good Samaritans attempting to provide aid and comfort to the downed rider. The man’s heavily damaged blue 2006 Suzuki GSX-R was found nearby, in the eastbound lane of the two-lane mountain roadway.

A CHP officer documents the scene of a fatal collision that killed a 34-year-old motorcyclist from Murrieta. Rivco News photo

Firefighter paramedics immediately began CPR and other lifesaving efforts, but the rider ultimately succumbed to his injuries and passed away at the scene.

The Riverside County Sheriff – Coroner’s Office has since identified Javier Hernandez Segura, 34, of Murrieta, as the motorcyclist killed in the collision. A Coroner’s release indicated he was pronounced deceased at 11:19 a.m.

During their subsequent investigation, officers determined Hernandez Segura had been traveling eastbound on Highway 74 approaching a blind, sweeping right hand curve moments before the collision, according to CHP Officer Mike Lassig.

As he rounded the curve, the rider collided into the back of a 2008 Econoline van being driven by a 52-year-old San Clemente man, who was waiting for westbound traffic to clear so he could make a legal left turn into the parking lot.

Although left turns from the highway into the scenic overlook are unlawful due to the double yellow lines and posted “no left-turn” sign, left turns into the Overlook Roadhouse business parking lot are legal, despite the double yellow lines.

CHP is continuing their investigation into the cause of the collision and no further information has been released.

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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.