2 adults dead & 2 children seriously injured after wrong-way Hwy 74 crash in Meadowbrook
MEADOWBROOK, Calif., — Authorities say two drivers were killed and two children were hospitalized after a two-vehicle collision in the unincorporated Riverside County community of Meadowbrook early this morning, Sunday, April 10.
The fatal collision, which was reportedly the result of a wrong-way driver, happened along Hwy 74 at Hammack Avenue, between the cities of Lake Elsinore and Perris, according to officials.
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California Highway Patrol was initially alerted to a wrong-way driver shortly before 2:30 a.m., according to a CHP representative.
Firefighters work to extricate the body of a driver who was killed in a wrong-way collision in Meadowbrook early this morning. OnScene TV photo
While still responding to the scene, officers received updated information that the wrong-way driver had plowed head-on into another vehicle, at which time Cal Fire – Riverside and other emergency personnel were dispatched to the scene.
Responding officials found a dark-colored Ford Mustang and white hatchback with a total of four occupants, including one adult in the wrong-way vehicle and an adult driver with two children in the second vehicle. Both vehicles sustained major front-end damage and were left blocking the roadway.
Despite life-saving efforts, both drivers succumbed to their injuries and passed away at the scene. Neither of the victims’ names have been released, pending further investigation and notification of their families.
Two drivers died and two children were seriously injured in this morning’s deadly wrong-way collision. OnScene TV photo
Both children from the right-way vehicle were rushed to area hospitals with injuries Cal Fire has since described as serious and minor.
It was not immediately clear if alcohol and/or drug intoxication were contributing factors in the deadly collision and CHP has not provided any further details regarding the results of their ongoing investigation.
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This is a developing story that will be updated as new information becomes available.
John Strangis / RMG News video below. (Warning: Contains graphic footage.)
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.