Hemet motorcyclist, USFS firefighter, ID’d after fatal Aguanga crash
AGUANGA, Calif., — Although few details have been released, officials have confirmed that a Hemet motorcyclist was killed after a solo-vehicle crash in the unincorporated community of Aguanga, east of Temecula Sunday afternoon, March 27. The fatal accident happened at 45150 Sage Road, about a half-mile north of Highway 79, according to officials.
According to his social media accounts and other sources, the victim, Desmond Palmer, 34, of Hemet, was a firefighter at U.S. Forest Service – San Bernardino National Forest, where he had been employed since May 2019.
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California Highway Patrol – Temecula, Cal Fire – Riverside, and other emergency personnel were dispatched to the scene around 4:20 p.m. after receiving reports of a motorcyclist who crashed off the roadway.
Firefighters and other emergency responders reached the scene about twenty minutes after the call was dispatched, at which time they confirmed he had succumbed to his injuries and passed away at the scene of the accident, according to Cal Fire.
A subsequent Riverside County Sheriff – Coroner’s Office release indicated he was pronounced deceased by paramedics at 4:45 p.m.
Desmond Palmer, 34, was killed after crashing his motorcycle on Sage Road in Aguanga on Sunday afternoon. Desmond Palmer / Facebook photo
CHP Officer Mike Lassig has since reported that Palmer was riding a black and grey 2006 Honda CBR 1000 northbound on Sage Road just north of Tyler Street at an unknown speed when he “made an unsafe turning movement” that caused his motorcycle to travel off the eastern edge of the roadway.
Palmer’s motorcycle overturned multiple times as it careened off the road, and Palmer was fatally ejected from his bike, according to Lassig.
CHP has not yet ruled out alcohol and/or drug intoxication and officers are continuing to investigate the cause of the deadly crash.
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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.