RIVERSIDE: 20-year-old woman arrested for DUI after crashing into ambulance

RIVERSIDE — An allegedly intoxicated woman was arrested early Sunday morning, Dec. 3, after she plowed into an ambulance causing it to overturn onto its side. The DUI-related collision happened at the intersection of Central and Streeter Avenues in the city of Riverside.

Riverside Police and Fire personnel and other emergency first responders were dispatched to the scene of the crash about 4 a.m., after being notified regarding the two-vehicle traffic collision.

When officials arrived they located a Lexus sedan that had collided with an American Medical Response ambulance.

The impact between the two vehicles caused the ambulance to spin around and overturn on its side. It came to rest facing the opposite direction it had been traveling.

The Lexus had sustained major, front-end damage and was considered a total loss.

Both vehicles were found in the roadway, blocking lanes of traffic. Vehicle parts and debris were strewn across the intersection and road.

After the wreck, three members of the ambulance crew had self-extricated from the overturned vehicle and the driver of the Lexus was found outside her destroyed sedan.

None of the four were seriously injured in the collision; however, one member of the ambulance crew was transported to an area hospital with minor injuries and complaints of pain.

There were no patients inside the ambulance at the time of the crash.

Officers investigating the cause of the accident determined the driver of the Lexus, who was later identified as 20-year-old, Destiny Nicole Collins, was under the influence when she smashed into the ambulance.

After she submitted to a field sobriety test, officers arrested Collins and she was later booked into Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside on suspicion of DUI resulting in injury.

Officials did not specify if Collins was believed to have been under the influence of alcohol or drugs; however, she was only charged with driving under the influence and was not charged with having a blood alcohol content over .08%.

An online jail records search revealed Collins was released from custody the day after her arrest after she posted $50,000 bail. She is scheduled to be arraigned at the Riverside Hall Of Justice, Jan. 29.

It was not immediately known if the ambulance was heading to an emergency or traveling with its lights and sirens on at the time of the crash.

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Trevor Montgomery, who recently moved from Riverside County to Shasta County, 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 as well as 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.