Ejected from vehicle, passenger seriously injured in Redding – Driver arrested for DUI

May 14, 2021 Trevor Montgomery

REDDING, Calif. — A woman was arrested and a man remains hospitalized with major injuries after a two-vehicle rollover traffic collision in Redding Thursday morning, May 13.

Officials have since reported that driving under the influence of drugs was suspected as a contributing factor in the crash, which happened on Rancho Road east of Shasta View Drive.

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City of Redding police and fire personnel were dispatched to the scene shortly before 7 a.m. after receiving reports of a major injury traffic collision with rollover and ejection, Redding Police Corporal Michael DiMatteo later said of the incident and arrest.

When officials arrived they found a white 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan, with major front-end and rollover damage, on its side in a field adjacent Rancho Road. A red Toyota Tundra with moderate driver’s side impact damage was found stopped in the middle of the roadway, a short distance from where the initial collision occurred.

Evidence at the scene of yesterday’s major injury traffic collision showed the drug intoxicated driver had drifted halfway into the oncoming lane of traffic when she nearly struck a pickup truck head-on. The sideswipe impact sent the suspect’s vehicle careening down an embankment where it overturned several times. Redding Police Department photo

Medical personnel treated a seriously injured male passenger at the scene before rushing him to an area hospital for further treatment. His injuries were later described by DiMatteo as major.

During their subsequent investigation, Redding PD Traffic Unit officers determined that the Volkswagen was heading westbound on Rancho Road approaching Shasta View Drive when, for unknown reasons, the driver allowed the vehicle to drift into the eastbound lane of traffic.

“A Toyota Tundra was traveling eastbound and attempted to avoid the collision with the Volkswagen by pulling to the side of the road, however the Volkswagen struck his vehicle,” DiMatteo explained. “The Volkswagen continued westbound and down an embankment, rolling several times, ejecting the male passenger before the vehicle came to rest.”

Based on their investigation officers determined the driver, since identified as Mercedes Yasmeen Longoria, 31, was under the influence of drugs and she was arrested. She was later booked into Shasta County Jail in Redding on suspicion of driving under the influence causing great bodily injury and driving while being addicted to narcotics.

A department representative this morning confirmed to SCNS that Longoria remains in custody in lieu of $50,000 bail or bond.

The driver of the Toyota Tundra was uninjured in the crash.

Yesterday’s collision caused Rancho Road to be closed for several hours until the roadway was cleared at the conclusion of Redding PD’s initial, on-scene investigation.

Anyone with information regarding this collision is encouraged to contact the Redding Police Department Traffic Unit at (530) 225-4200. Callers can refer to incident file number 21R031760 and can remain anonymous.

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Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 49, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).

Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County-based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.

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 30 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 18 grandchildren.