Last Updated on August 8, 2021 by CCAR Staff
A Corona driver died and his two passengers were injured when the off-road vehicle he was driving rolled into a ravine late Friday evening, Aug. 6, near Riverside’s La Sierra Hills neighborhood, officials said.
The two passengers, a woman in her early 50s and her son, a 10-year-old boy, were treated on scene. Both were critically injured and the woman was airlifted by a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department helicopter to Loma Linda University Medical Center, where both were being treated.
The child remained in critical condition but was stable. His mother was still in very critical condition as of Saturday evening, according to Riverside Police Officer Ryan Railsback.
A preliminary investigation indicated the 2006 Jeep Wrangler was travelling on a steep ridge in the area of Cadbury Drive and Yearling Street when the driver failed to negotiate the terrain and rolled, according to officials. Fire crews hiked a half mile through rough terrain to reach the vehicle. The driver was identified as 52-year-old Ruben Armendarez.
This is the second off-road fatality in city the last 30 days. The department has seen an increase in off-roading activities in and around the Santa Ana River bottom, prompting at least four collisions during the past month and complaints from neighbors, said Railsback. Off-roading of any kind is illegal in the city.
