DUI suspected in head-on Hemet crash that left 1 dead and 1 hospitalized

Last Updated on February 28, 2021 by CCAR Staff

A driver who died at the scene of a head-on collision in Hemet that left another motorist hospitalized may have been intoxicated when his car veered into oncoming traffic Saturday, police said Sunday, Feb. 28.

Preliminary investigation suggests a blue Ford Mustang moving north on State Street traveled into southbound lanes near South Village Loop, Hemet police said in a news release. It slammed into a silver Ford F-150 at about 3:19 p.m. Saturday.

The man behind the wheel of the Mustang died before he could be taken to a hospital. He was identified as Reef Crimson, 58, of Hemet, in a Riverside County Sheriff/Coroner Department news release.

The driver of the F-150 had to be freed from the wrecked truck, police said. That person was seriously injured, but expected to survive after undergoing surgery Saturday evening, HPD Lt. Eric Dickson said.

It was not immediately clear why Crimson’s vehicle traveled into oncoming lanes, police said. But evidence suggests he might have been under the influence of drugs at the time, Dickson said.

Authorities asked anyone who may have witnessed the collision to call HPD traffic investigators at 951-765-2400.