1 dead, 2 hospitalized and ambulance truck severely damaged in violent collision in Riverside County

One person died and two were injured after an AMR ambulance truck crashed in the census-designated community of Home Gardens in Riverside County on Saturday morning.

The violent crash that totaled the ambulance truck happened just after 6:45 a.m. on the 12000 block of El Sobrante and Willow roads, according to the Riverside County Fire Department. 

When crews arrived at the scene of the crash, they found one individual suffering from major injuries and two suffering from minor injuries, firefighters said. All the patients were taken to local hospitals. Grace Porretta, 90, of Perris was being transported via the ambulance when the crash happened. 

A second team of paramedics arrived and found her in grave condition. She died shortly after being rushed to the hospital by the second team. 

Investigators with the California Highway Patrol say that the crash happened when the driver lost control after picking up a patient in the area, veering off the road and slamming into a palm tree. At the time of the collision, investigators say that the ambulance did not have their lights or sirens activated.

AMR said that crew members involved in the accident were treated for minor injuries and released from the hospital. 

"We are conducting a thorough review of the incident, but our immediate focus is on the wellbeing of our team and supporting everyone affected," AMR said in a statement.

Photos from the scene show the mangled vehicle, which appeared to have been shorn in half during the impact. The collision was so loud, Maya Gutierrez felt it from her bed at her home across the street from where it actually happened.

"I felt the impact of the tree, it shook the entire house," she said. 

Community members can only guess what led to the crash, which remains under investigation.

"He must have been traveling at a really high speed to have that much damage," said Robert Mullinax, who lives nearby.