REDDING: Two hospitalized in DUI wreck after car smashes into construction vehicles

REDDING — A man was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and his female passenger had to be extricated from the mangled wreckage of a car this morning, Thursday, Sept. 14.

The early-morning accident happened in the area of Victor Avenue near El Vista Street in Redding, after the alleged drunk driver smashed into several excavating vehicles that had been parked along the side of the roadway, due to road construction in the area.

Redding Police and Fire officials were dispatched to the wreck about 2:51 a.m., after SHASCOM emergency dispatchers received “numerous calls” from other motorists and witnesses who called 911 to report the traffic collision. Callers told dispatchers that one or both occupants from the vehicle were trapped and needed to be cut from the destroyed vehicle, described as a 1995 Ford Probe.

When Police and Fire personnel arrived, they found the Ford “completely destroyed from colliding with numerous excavating vehicles,” Redding Police Sergeant Aaron Maready explained in a written press release. Vehicle parts and debris were strewn across the roadway, which was left partially blocked after the collision.

Paramedics immediately began evaluating and treating the occupants from the car, both of whom suffered traumatic injuries in the crash. Officials later identified the driver as Robert Chandler, 38, and identified Catelynn Odai, 27, as the vehicle’s passenger. Both are residents of Pendleton, Oregon.

Firefighter/paramedics found Odai trapped inside the wrecked Ford and required a cut and rescue operation to free the woman. Firefighters used the “Jaws of Life” to cut the injured woman from inside the car before medics transported her by ground ambulance to Mercy Medical Center with moderate injuries according to Maready.

Authorities investigating the cause of the crash determined Chandler was driving under the influence when he plowed into the parked excavation and road construction vehicles. Based on their observations and investigation, officers arrested Chandler for felony DUI resulting in injuries.

Officials did not specify the nature or extent of Chandler’s injuries or his current condition, but he was “subsequently released as he required hospitalization due to…injuries received during the collision,” said Maready.

The investigation into the accident is active and ongoing.

Anyone with additional information about this incident or who witnessed the accident is encouraged to contact Redding Police Sergeant Maready at (530) 225-4200. Callers can refer to incident file number 17-67837 and can remain anonymous.

 

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for Riverside County based newspapers Valley News, The Valley Chronicle and Anza Valley Outlook and also writes for Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County.

Trevor 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, breaking his back and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center and Lake Elsinore Station, along with other locations.