RANCHO CUCAMONGA -- From fellow deputies to jail inmates, Ron Ives was known as a considerate and friendly man to nearly everyone he encountered. Even drivers who received tickets from the traffic officer never had a bad word to say about him, his colleagues said.

"He's one of the best deputy sheriffs we've ever had," said Bill Faulkner, a training specialist who worked with Ives at West Valley Detention Center.

Ives, 43, a deputy with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, was killed Wednesday after he was broadsided by a man in a sport-utility vehicle in Rancho Cucamonga. Witnesses said the man ran a red light at Archibald Avenue and Baseline Road.

The SUV driver, Francis James Rawls, 60, of San Bernardino, died about 7:50 p.m. Wednesday at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center.

Both men succumbed to multiple blunt force injuries, said Randy Emon, spokesman with the San Bernardino County Coroner's Department.

Two other drivers who were struck by the deputy's motorcycle and Rawls' SUV were taken to San Antonio Community Hospital where they were treated and released.

San Bernardino County sheriff's spokeswoman Robin Haynal said the cause of the accident is still under investigation by the department's Major Accident Investigation Team.

"They were out there until about 1 o'clock last night, so I know there's a lot to investigate," Haynal said.

Red, white and blue balloons, candles and flower bouquets lined the grassy corner of Archibald and Baseline. Taped to a traffic light was a small poster of the "Officer Down" statue depicting an officer holding another who is wounded. American flags flapped in the breeze and a traffic deputy's helmet sat atop a white cross.

Ives leaves behind a wife and a 20-year-old son.

The deputy's colleagues visited the site, dropping off cards and flowers.

Faulkner said Ives always had a smile on his face. He was friendly to everyone, including inmates, Faulkner said.

"He was nice to everybody and considerate of their feelings. That's why it's so hard for all of us," he said.

Ives was also a leader and a mentor to other deputies, said Deputy Amy Johnston, with the jail's training division.

Johnston, who worked alongside Ives at the jail for several years, said his advice to new deputies was to "work hard and always do the right thing."

And like others who knew him, Johnston also said Ives was friendly and pleasant.

"Every time he'd see you, he'd give you a big hug and a kiss. He'd make you feel like the most important person in the world."

Some people who visited the memorial site didn't even know the man.

"It's sad because he's so young," said Al Hernandez, who lives near where the accident occurred.

He said he used to see Ives riding his motorcycle around the neighborhood and heard about the accident on the news Wednesday.

Cynthia Kirkwood, who also lives nearby, said she took the day off from work to pay her respects to the deputy.

"I came by to let the family know that people do care and appreciate his service to the community," she said.

Ives, an Upland resident, was building tow trucks in the 1990s when he started thinking about a career change.

"Someone suggested to him, 'You ought to get into law enforcement,' " said San Bernardino County sheriff's Sgt. Jack Phillips.

He entered the sheriff's training academy and began working for the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department at the jail in 1996.

Ives eventually went through training to become a motorcycle officer and started working in that position in Rancho Cucamonga around 2000. His colleagues said it was the camaraderie of the traffic bureau that attracted him to the job.

About 1 1/2 years ago, he joined the department's Major Accident Investigation Team. He also trained and evaluated new motorcycle deputies, Phillips said.

Colleagues said Ives was a metalsmith on the side and once altered a mount for the motorcycle officers' radar guns, said sheriff's Cpl. Mike O'Brien. Ives took the mount home, changed it and brought it back to work. Other deputies liked it so much, they asked him to do the same for theirs.

Last year, Ives applied to become a detective and was on the list for a promotion to the position, Phillips said.

Deputies scheduled a fund-raising car wash for Ives' family on Sunday. The car wash will be from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. at the northeast corner of Hermosa Avenue and Foothill Boulevard.

Donations to the family may be sent to the Ronald Ives Memorial Fund, c/o the Safety Employee Benefits Association, 555 N. E St., San Bernardino, 92401.

Memorial services are scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday at Quakes Stadium, 8408 Rochester Ave., Rancho Cucamonga.

Melissa Pinion-Whitt can be reached by e-mail at [email protected] or by phone at (909) 483-9378.