A Hemet woman was struck and killed late on Halloween night by a driver who fled the scene before officers arrived, and police are still searching for the vehicle nearly three days later. Riverside County coroner records identify the victim as 44-year-old Donna Risner of Hemet, who died in the roadway on West Menlo Avenue about 170 feet west of State Street.
Hemet police said their communications center received several 911 calls at approximately 11:55 p.m. on October 31 reporting a crash involving a vehicle and a pedestrian near the intersection of State Street and Menlo Avenue, according to a statement from the Hemet Police Department. By the time officers reached the scene, the vehicle involved was already gone. Officers found Risner unresponsive in the street and she was pronounced dead at the scene, according to The Press-Enterprise.
Police said their preliminary investigation indicated the vehicle was traveling eastbound on Menlo Avenue toward State Street when the pedestrian entered the roadway and was struck. Witnesses gave a similar account to the newspaper, saying the car was headed east on Menlo toward State Street when Risner walked into the street and was hit. Investigators have said the circumstances surrounding the collision remain under investigation, and per the same Press-Enterprise report, police said they did not yet have information on exactly where Risner was in the street or who had the right of way.
Search Focuses on Damaged Silver or Gray Sedan
Hemet police are searching for a silver or gray sedan with front-end damage in connection with the crash, the newspaper reported. The description is the only lead investigators have released publicly about the vehicle or its driver, and no further details on the car or a suspect have been made public.
Menlo Avenue was closed between Alessandro Street and State Street for several hours on Halloween night while investigators processed the scene, according to the police statement. The closure came as officers worked to document the crash site before reopening the stretch of road to traffic.
Victim's Identity Confirmed, Agency Pursuing Driver
Police initially withheld the identity of the person killed pending notification of next of kin, but the Riverside County coroner’s office has since listed her as Donna Risner, a 44-year-old Hemet resident, in a release confirming the Hemet Police Department as the investigating agency. The coroner’s office is reachable through its Coroner’s Bureau for additional case information.
Fleeing the scene of a fatal collision is a violation of California law, which requires drivers involved in a crash resulting in death or injury to stop and identify themselves, under California Vehicle Code requirements. Hemet police are asking anyone who witnessed the crash or who has information about the vehicle to contact Officer Jake Dominguez at (951) 765-2400.
The case adds to a string of fatal pedestrian crashes that have drawn attention to roadway safety in Hemet, a city previously flagged in state traffic safety rankings. For now, investigators say the search for the driver and the damaged sedan continues as the only confirmed leads in Risner’s death.
