Hemet Crash Involving Fire Truck Kills 10-year-old Boy, Father

HEMET, CA – A Cal Fire engine responding to an active wildfire collided with a Mini Cooper at a Hemet intersection Friday afternoon, killing a 43-year-old man and a 10-year-old boy and injuring three firefighters, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The crash occurred shortly after noon on June 5 at the intersection of Domenigoni Parkway and State Street. The Cal Fire engine was traveling northbound on State Street with its emergency lights and siren activated, responding to the Cranston Fire burning in the San Bernardino National Forest via State Route 74. The Mini Cooper, driven by the San Jacinto man, was traveling westbound on Gibbel Road when the two vehicles collided in the intersection, CHP said.

The driver died at the scene. The boy, seated in the front passenger seat, was transported to a hospital with severe injuries and later died. A second child in the back seat was taken to Riverside University Health System for evaluation as a precaution and was not reported to have life-threatening injuries. CHP said all occupants of the Mini Cooper were wearing seatbelts.

The Cal Fire engine’s driver and two accompanying firefighters were transported to Inland Valley Hospital for evaluation and later released. Investigators said drugs and alcohol are not believed to be factors in the collision, which remains under investigation by CHP.

Cal Fire Capt. John Clingingsmith Jr. confirmed the crew was actively responding to the Cranston Fire at the time of the crash.

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Cranston Fire Context

The Cranston Fire, burning in the San Bernardino National Forest near State Route 74, had prompted an emergency response from Cal Fire units in the region on June 5. The fire engine involved was en route to that incident when the collision occurred. Wildfire response calls require crews to move quickly through public roadways, creating inherent risks at busy intersections even when apparatus emergency systems are fully engaged.

Under California law, emergency vehicles operating with lights and sirens are granted the right-of-way at intersections, but drivers of such vehicles are still required to drive with due regard for the safety of others. Whether the fire engine entered the intersection appropriately will be a central question in the CHP investigation.

Emergency Vehicle Crashes and Liability

Crashes involving emergency vehicles in California occupy a specific and often complex area of personal injury law. Government entities — including state agencies like Cal Fire — are generally protected from liability under the Government Claims Act, but that protection has limits. California’s Vehicle Code requires even emergency vehicle operators to exercise due care, and courts have allowed claims to proceed when evidence suggests an operator failed to meet that standard.

The question of liability in a case like this one involves multiple considerations: whether the emergency lights and siren were activated, whether the intersection was cleared before the engine entered it, and whether any other vehicles or road conditions contributed to the collision. The presence of a child in the front passenger seat, along with a second child in the back seat, adds a layer of concern regarding the circumstances of the impact, given that the front seat position is generally not recommended for children under 13.

Families who lose a loved one in a collision with a government vehicle face a more compressed legal timeline than those involved in standard personal injury cases. In California, a government tort claim must typically be filed within six months of the incident. Missing that window can permanently bar a family from seeking compensation, regardless of what the CHP investigation ultimately concludes.

Wrongful death claims in California allow surviving family members to seek damages for loss of financial support, loss of companionship, funeral and burial expenses, and other economic and non-economic losses. In a case where a father and his son were both killed, and another child was injured, potential claims could extend to surviving family members of both victims.

The investigation is ongoing. CHP has not released a timeline for its findings.