California Highway Patrol officials have scheduled a town hall meeting at Hemet High School on Wednesday, Nov. 7, to address issues raised by a crash in front of the school May 30.The forum will take place at 6 p.m. in the Hemet High community theater.Addressing the public will be CHP Assistant Chief Esmeralda Falat and Capt. Gregory Peck, who commands the Banning Highway Patrol office, which patrols Hemet.The eight students were injured when they were struck in a crosswalk by a pickup driven by Daniel Carrillo, at the time a junior at the high school.The CHP office in Banning initially reported that the pickup was driving 50 mph in a 25 mph zone, weaving in and out of traffic and running a red light. Even though accident investigations often take weeks or months to complete, the CHP within a week rejected Carrillo’s assertion that his brakes failed and said criminal charges would likely be filed soon.The Riverside County district attorney’s office announced this month that charges would not be filed.A news release from the DA’s office said the CHP had determined that brake failure was the chief contributing factor to the crash and that Carrillo was slowing down as he approached the area on East Stetson Avenue.Peck wrote in a letter to The Press-Enterprise that his office “erroneously reported preliminary information regarding the speed of the vehicle prior to and during the collision, as well as the possible mechanical condition of the involved vehicle’s brake system.”He wrote that the CHP provided preliminary information to the DA’s office about what it thought was the cause of the investigation but conducted more detailed analysis of the pickup’s braking system at the request of prosecutors.As a result of the analysis, Peck wrote, “It was determined that the brake system was in such poor condition that its failure was the primary factor in the collision.”
FILE PHOTOStudents cross Stetson Avenue in front of Hemet High School on May 31, 2012. A day earlier, eight students were struck by a truck that ran a red light at the intersection.