TEMECULA: DUI driver injured after car plows into telephone pole

TEMECULA – A man was injured in an early morning, single-vehicle traffic accident when his vehicle smashed head-on into a Southern California Edison pole Thursday, March 16. The pole, which is located in the area of Temecula Parkway west of Meadows Parkway in Temecula, was sheared in half from the impact.

Deputies responded to the area about 4:18 a.m., after receiving reports of the accident, Riverside Sheriff’s Sergeant Loeffler wrote in a press release.

When deputies and other emergency first responders arrived at the scene of the accident, they located a red sedan that had plowed into the pole.

When the power pole was sheared in half, several power lines were left hang low to the ground. The incident caused the traffic signal lights at the nearby intersection to temporarily stop working.

Officials treated the driver at the scene before medics transported him to an area hospital for further evaluation and treatment.

During their investigation, deputies determined the 26-year-old driver of the sedan, who officials did not identify, “was driving westbound on Temecula Parkway when, for an unknown reason, he veered to the right and onto the grass belt,” Loeffler explained in a written press release after the incident. “The vehicle traveled along the grass approximately 300 feet until it struck the power pole.”

“Additional evidence located during the investigation suggests the driver was operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs at the time of the collision,” Loeffler wrote.

Based on the evidence and their investigation, criminal charges will be sought against the driver for driving under the influence and possession of a controlled substance.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is encouraged to contact Deputy Nanez or Deputy Daughters at the Temecula Police Department at (951) 696-3000. Callers can refer to incident file number TE170750011 and can remain anonymous. Citizens may also submit a tip using the Sheriff’s CrimeTips online form.

 

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including the Robert Presley Detention Center, the Southwest Station in Temecula, the Hemet Station, and the Lake Elsinore Station, along with many other locations.