A motorcyclist had to be airlifted to a Riverside County trauma unit on Monday evening, Aug. 2 following the second of two separate but related traffic collisions that occurred in the same area less than an hour apart. A REACH helicopter landed and lifted off from the southbound lanes of Highway 111 south of Heber Road after the driver of the motorcycle rear-ended a car that was reducing its speed due to backed-up traffic from an earlier accident, California Highway Patrol spokesperson Officer Arturo Platero said on Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 3.

Few details were available as Highway Patrol had yet to issue a report on either collision by Tuesday afternoon. The more serious incident was reported about 5:05 p.m. when the motorcyclist hit a Honda Civic from behind.

The driver of the motorcycle was “unconscious on scene,” Platero said, and was transported to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs.

No name, age, city, or degree of injury was available for the motorcyclist, according to Platero, and the occupant or occupants of the Civic were not injured.

No other information on that accident was available, he added.

The Civic was slowing down due to traffic being backed up from four-vehicle collision that occurred about 4:15 p.m., when a woman who was driving her car in the north lanes of 111 south of Heber Road says she lost consciousness and traveled into the southbound No. 1 lane of the highway, Platero said.

She then sideswiped three southbound vehicles, all of which had already seen the woman heading in their direction and were able to avoid serious damage or injury, he added.

Only the driver was transported from the scene, by ground ambulance, for precautionary reasons because she claimed to have blacked out, Platero explained.

No personal information about the woman was available from Highway Patrol.

Both accidents were still under investigation by Highway Patrol.

Riverside County Police Department | Contributed

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SAN DIEGO (AP) — A man accused of piloting a boat overloaded with migrants that crashed into rocks off San Diego’s coast and killed three people kneed a U.S. Border Patrol agent in the face who was trying to put a leg shackle on him on the beach, authorities said.

Investigators said in an affidavit filed Tuesday in federal court in San Diego that the agent was not seriously injured but the hit left a red mark on his forehead.

A total of 33 people were pulled from the water after the 40-foot (12-meter) trawling-style boat smashed into rocks and broke apart Sunday, tossing people into the rough sea off Cabrillo National Monument. Besides the three who died, two others were still hospitalized, including one in critical condition.

Investigators say Antonio Hurtado, a U.S. citizen, was piloting the boat, and he was arrested on suspicion of bringing in or harboring undocumented immigrants and assaulting an officer, according to the affidavit. Twenty-one passengers identified Hurtado in a photo lineup as the captain of the vessel.

He was treated in a hospital and turned over to immigration authorities. His lawyer, Melissa Bobrow, declined to comment.

The migrants told investigators they paid between $15,000 and $18,000 each to be smuggled into the U.S. on the boat.

All but one were Mexican citizens, including two 15-year-olds who were traveling alone, a boy and a girl. A Guatemalan man remains hospitalized.

Maria Eugenia Chavez Segovia, 41; Maricela Hernandez Sanchez, 35; and Victor Perez Degollado, 29, drowned after suffering blunt-force injuries to their heads, according the San Diego County medical examiner’s office.

Navy rescue swimmer Cale Foy did his best to save them. He was hiking with his wife and three kids when he noticed the vessel approaching the rocky, wind-swept San Diego coastline as 5- to 8-foot (1.5- to 2-meter) waves were crashing.

A moment later, a wave slammed the boat, and Foy saw it hit the rocks. He spotted people tossed into the rough sea before the vessel broke into pieces.

“All of a sudden, we see people jumping into the waves and on top of the rocks, and it was: ‘I have to be there. I have to help,'” Foy said.

He immediately ran toward the shore in what would become the most dramatic rescue mission of his 17-year career. Foy and another young sailor who was also out hiking and is in basic training as a Navy SEAL recruit were among the first to respond.

“We could hear people frantic, kind of chaos, screaming,” Foy said.

In a T-shirt, pants and hiking boots, Foy ran into the waves, took a chance and dove under, praying that he would not be slammed into rocks below.

After Foy and the Navy SEAL recruit got past the pounding surf, they came upon a large piece of the boat’s cabin and grabbed it to rest.

Then the two headed toward the screams. They helped three men who survived get to the wreckage.

Then Foy saw a woman face down in the water, wearing a life preserver. She was unconscious.

Foy used his body to keep her head out of the water, carrying her on his chest as he swam toward the floating debris. He placed her on it and then pulled it toward a lifeguard boat that had arrived.

He got her into the boat, hopped in and started CPR on her as they rolled over the waves.

Foy traveled with the lifeguard boat back to land and continued to do CPR for 20 more minutes.

Despite his efforts, she died, he said.

Foy stayed for another two hours on the dock, helping tend to people brought in on the lifeguard boats.

In the end, Foy and the Navy SEAL recruit got six migrants to the floating wreckage. Four of them survived.

“We just jumped in and helped out with what we could,” Foy said.

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The crash was reported about 11:15 a.m. at the intersection of Sunnymead Ranch Parkway and Village Road, just east of Box Springs Mountain Reserve, according to the Riverside County Fire Department. The circumstances behind the crash were unclear.

Two engine crews and a truck company were sent to the location, and firefighters found one motorist outside his car, while the other was wedged inside the wreckage of the second vehicle, according to reports from the scene.

The victim was safely removed 20 minutes later and taken to Riverside University Medical Center for treatment of moderate injuries. The other driver, who suffered minor injuries, declined medical treatment.

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Authorities say a 46-year-old San Jacinto man died after losing control of his speeding vehicle and plowing head-on into a San Jacinto tree earlier this morning, Sunday, Sept. 1.

The accident, which happened on State St., just south of Soboba Rd. and north of Record St., caused the victim to be ejected from his vehicle; which exploded and burst into flames upon impact. The car fire then ignited a vegetation fire. It was not immediately known if the victim was wearing a seat-belt at the time of the crash, according to CHP.

Witnesses from as far as several blocks away later reported seeing the vehicle traveling at over 100 mph just moments before hearing a loud boom followed by an explosion.

CHP, along with Riverside County Sheriff’s and Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire departments and other emergency personnel were dispatched to the scene just after 1 a.m., after receiving reports of a vehicle that had smashed into a tree and burst into flames, CHP Sgt. Brian King later reported from the scene.

Deputies arrived within minutes of the dispatched call and confirmed finding a vehicle fully engulfed in flames and updated that the car fire had begun to spread to nearby vegetation.

More than two dozen Cal Fire and Soboba firefighters and paramedics soon arrived at the scene and spent about thirty minutes knocking down the vegetation blaze ignited by the vehicle fire. The impact left the car, which was later described as a 2018 Dodge Charger, destroyed and completely unrecognizable.

The driver and sole-occupant of the vehicle, who was identified Michael Anthony Vega, 46, of San Jacinto, suffered major traumatic injuries when he was ejected from his car and was pronounced deceased at the scene at 1:10 a.m.

During their subsequent investigation, CHP officers determined the driver of the Dodge had been traveling northbound on State St. at a high rate of speed, when “for reasons still under investigation the vehicle went off the roadway and collided into a tree,” King reported.

“As a result of the impact, the driver was ejected out of the vehicle and the vehicle caught on fire,” the Sgt. continued; saying, “The tree that it struck then caught on fire as well.”

The tremendous, high-speed collision left vehicle parts and debris scattered across more than 100 yards of the roadway, leaving it blocked and impassable.

As their investigation continued, CHP located and interviewed at least one witness who told them they were ordering food at a Del Taco in the area of State St. and Ramona Expressway when they saw the victim’s vehicle race by.

The witness “put the vehicle at over 100 mph”, according to Sgt.

While officials worked at the scene and cleaned up extensive debris left by the crash they called for the temporary closure of State St. The road remain closed for several hours, and was reopened around 4 a.m.

Alcohol and/or drug intoxication have not been ruled out as contributing factors in the fiery wreck and CHP’s investigation into the deadly crash is ongoing.

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HEMET — Excessive speed has been cited as a possible contributing factor after a San Jacinto resident in a Corvette lost control of his vehicle and slammed into a power pole in Hemet late Sunday evening, Aug. 18. The deadly, solo-vehicle accident happened on Mountain Ave., west of Soboba St.

Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner officials have since identified Christopher McKelvey, 21, of San Jacinto, as the man who died in the crash. A Coroner’s release indicated McKelvey succumbed to his injuries at the scene and was pronounced deceased at 12:01 a.m. According to his friends and family, McKelvey was a former Hemet High School and Western Center Academy student, and had just turned 21 on July 24.

City of Hemet Police and Fire Departments, along with CHP, Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, and AMR were dispatched to the scene at about 11:58 p.m., Hemet Police Sgt. Dan Reinbolt has since said of the fatal crash.

When officials arrived within minutes of the dispatched call, they found a destroyed 1989 Chevy Corvette wrapped around a power pole. The sports car was completely unrecognizable and medical personnel determined the driver and sole occupant of the car had already passed away from his major traumatic injuries.

Officers who investigated the cause of the crash determined McKelvey was driving on Mountain Ave, when he lost control of his vehicle, which careened off the road and plowed into a power pole on the north side of the roadway, according to Reinbolt.

Witnesses to the fatal accident later reported McKelvey was traveling at high speed just before the collision, with several people claiming the victim was going about 100 mph when he lost control of his Corvette and crashed into the power pole. Officers are still working to determine how fast McKelvey was driving just before the deadly accident.

While officials worked at the scene, they called for the full closure of Mountain Ave., between Soboba and Hemet streets. The road remained closed in both directions for about five hours while the investigation was conducted.

“It is not known if alcohol or drugs played a role in this very unfortunate incident,” Reinbolt explained; saying the department’s investigation was ongoing.

Caption Photo 1: a San Jacinto resident in a Corvette lost control of his vehicle and slammed into a power pole

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When paramedics arrived, they found her vehicle turned on its side in a field next to the road. She needed immediate medical attention as the paramedics attempted to save the woman’s life, but she succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The victim was later identified by coroner officials as Victoria Fleming. There were two other victims in the crash who were transported to the hospital, but the extent of their injuries is currently unknown.

On this same day, another fatal collision took place in Hemet. A woman was killed in a solo-rollover incident that took place on the SR-74, to the west of Four Seasons Boulevard.

Witnesses reported seeing a car rollover, as well as flames burst into the air. When first responders arrived, they found a Toyota Camry upside down, consumed by the flames that were still very much active at the time of arrival. After the fire was put out, the victim was pronounced deceased, being trapped in her vehicle.

California Highway Patrol closed the road and began to determine the cause of the crash. During their investigation, officers determined the unidentified woman was driving eastbound on Florida Ave. “when, for reasons not yet determined, she failed to negotiate the sweeping turn in the roadway,” according to CHP Officer M. Peel. (Trevor Montgomery, Riverside County News Source).

The victim’s identity has not yet been released, the investigation is still underway.

Residents of the San Jacinto Valley: car accidents can happen anytime, anywhere and to anybody. While safe driving practices are highly encouraged and promoted, many still choose not to follow these guidelines.

Maintaining decent distance between you and the vehicle ahead of you, eliminating distractions while driving and wearing a seatbelt are not new concepts. Everyone has heard of these; for good reason. Something as simple as taking five seconds to put on a seatbelt before driving could very well save your life.

Back in March, a collision took place on Ramona Expressway/Mountain Avenue and N. Soboba street in Hemet. One person was killed, and another was ejected from his driver’s seat through the front window, as he was not wearing a seatbelt.

We all must drive with a precautionary, defensive mindset, in order to avoid collisions and better ensure our safety, as well as the safety of our fellow drivers.

It is extremely important that we all remember, while we see cars as these beautiful pieces of work that we use in our daily lives, they are also metal machines that are capable of causing fatal crashes in an instant.

The author can be contacted at: villalobos3fidel@gmail.com

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