DUI hit and run sends airborne car soaring through fire hydrant, fence
JURUPA VALLEY — Officials say a suspected drunk driver abandoned his three injured passengers and fled the scene of a major injury traffic accident in Jurupa Valley early Wednesday morning, Feb. 6. The Jurupa Valley resident was located several hours later and subsequently arrested and booked on multiple felony charges.
The single vehicle crash sent the speeding car soaring through the air through a fire hydrant and fence, where it landed in an industrial yard at the intersection of Agua Mansa Rd. and Brown Ave.
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Deputies assigned to Jurupa Valley Police Department, Cal Fire/Riverside County firefighters, and multiple AMR ambulance crews, responded to the area about 1:40 a.m., after receiving a report of a traffic collision with victims possibly trapped, Riverside Sheriff’s Sgt. Brian Gutierrez later reported.
When officials arrived, they reported finding a car that went airborne after hitting a curb and mowing down a fire hydrant. The crash sent the small white sedan soaring through a wrought iron fence, where it nearly smashed into a large, industrial-size propane tank, and landed in a the yard of a business.
Officials updated that the driver of the car had fled the scene, leaving three young women inside the wreckage of the sedan.
The sheared-off fire hydrant sent a geyser of water soaring 40 to 50 feet into the air, directly into a set of over-head power lines, causing the electrified lines to spark and flash. As officials worked at the scene, the geyser had soon flooded area streets with flowing water, creating a new hazard for other, early-morning motorists and commuters.
Deputies began investigating the cause of the crash while firefighters assessed and treated the three victims, including one woman who sustained significant head trauma and another who was at first listed in critical condition.
Based on the circumstances, members of Jurupa Valley Station’s Traffic Reconstruction Team responded to the scene and assumed the investigation.
During their preliminary investigation TRT members determined that just before the crash the driver, who was later identified as 33-year-old, Enrique Fierro Jr., had been traveling northbound Agua Mansa “at a high rate of speed,” Gutierrez explained.
For reasons not yet determined, Fierro lost control of his vehicle. As his sedan careened out of control, it hit a curb at the intersection and went airborne, eventually coming to rest inside an industrial property.
All three passengers were eventually transported to a nearby hospital, according to Gutierrez, including two victims who sustained minor injuries and a third who sustained major injuries.
As their investigation continued, officials located and apprehended Fierro, where he was hiding at a residence in the city of Moreno Valley. Fierro was transported to Riverside University Health System to be treated for injuries he sustained in the traffic collision and later arrested.
Fierro was eventually booked into Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside on suspicion of felony hit and run, reckless driving, driving on a suspended license, and violation of probation.
He was released within hours of his arrest after posting $25,000 bail, and is scheduled to be arraigned at Riverside’s Hall of Justice, Apr. 3.
Alcohol and drug intoxication are suspected to be contributing factors in the crash and additional charges of felony DUI resulting in great bodily injury and other charges could be added, pending the outcome of Fierro’s toxicology report.
Anyone with additional information regarding this investigation is encouraged to contact Deputy Ditfurth at the Jurupa Valley Station at (951) 955-2600. Callers can refer to incident file number JV190370010 and can remain anonymous.
Persons who wish to report criminal activity and wish to remain anonymous can call crime stoppers at 800-78-CRIME (800-782-7463) or 800-47-DRUGS (800-473-7847). You can also leave anonymous information at www.riversidesheriff.org/tipline or www.wetip.com. Citizens may also submit a tip using the Sheriff’s CrimeTips online form.
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John Strangis/RMG News photos
Contact the writer: [email protected]
Trevor Montgomery, 47, moved last year to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, The Valley Chronicle, and Anza Valley Outlook; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta 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. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s 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.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
Trevor has been married for more than 28 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 15 – but soon to be 16 – grandchildren.