Family sues Riverside County after sheriff's deputy runs red light, killing a man and injuring his fiancee

"A Riverside County Sheriff's patrol vehicle barreled toward them at 100 mph, running through a red light and colliding with the driver's side of their car. Hinkley, 21, died at the crash site in September, and his fiancée, 20-year-old Madeline Fox, suffered "catastrophic" injuries, including permanent brain trauma, according to a lawsuit filed this week by their families against Riverside County."

"The suit alleges that the "grossly negligent" and reckless conduct of deputy Glynn Wilburn, who was driving the patrol car, caused Hinkley's death and Fox's serious physical and mental impairment, grief and emotional distress. Wilburn, a defendant in the lawsuit, began to brake just before the impact, but was still driving at 98 mph in the seconds before the car slowed to about 72 mph, the suit says."

"Hinkley had been driving the couple's Tesla and was making a left turn at the intersection of Cherry Valley Boulevard and Roberts Street in the city of Calimesa. Spencer Lucas, an attorney representing the families with the firm Panish Shea Ravipudi LLP, said the deputy was responding to a dispatch, but regardless, law enforcement must operate with a reasonable level of safety and care."

""There's no excuse for a cowboy cop to be barreling down a two-lane road through a red light. ...He was driving so far in excess of what would be reasonable," Lucas said in an interview with the Times. "This tragic crash was completely preventable." The suit also says Southern California Edison erred because its utility equipment blocked visibility, preventing Hinkley from seeing the"

A Riverside County sheriff’s patrol vehicle allegedly collided with a couple’s car while running a red light at about 100 mph. Gavin Hinkley died at the crash site, and his fiancée, Madeline Fox, suffered catastrophic injuries, including permanent brain trauma. The families filed a lawsuit alleging gross negligence and reckless conduct by deputy Glynn Wilburn, claiming his driving caused Hinkley’s death and Fox’s serious physical and mental impairment, along with grief and emotional distress. The crash occurred during Hinkley’s left turn at the intersection of Cherry Valley Boulevard and Roberts Street in Calimesa. The lawsuit also names Riverside County, Southern California Edison, American Medical Response of Southern California, and the cities of Calimesa and Beaumont, alleging additional negligence related to visibility.

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