CHP Releases Name of Alleged Drunk Driver Who Crashed into Fire Engine

The California Highway Patrol has released the name of a driver arrested for allegedly driving under the influence and crashing into a fire engine that had been responding to the scene of an overturned vehicle on Interstate Highway 80 near Hercules early Sunday morning.

Christian Zuniga, a 29-year-old Richmond resident, was headed east on Interstate 80 near Willow Avenue at 1:54 a.m. Sunday. Officers say Zuniga failed to notice the fire engine in front of him, which was stopped at the scene of an overturned Nissan Pathfinder and had its emergency lights turned on. Zuniga was conscious but unresponsive when he was airlifted to John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek with major injuries. Jerry Short Jr., the fire engine’s driver, was transported by ambulance to Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Vallejo, where he was treated and released back to full duty. No other injuries were reported as a result of the collision.

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• Fire Officials Say Proper Placement of Fire Engine Saved Firefighters’ Lives from ‘Inattentive Motorist’

Fire department personnel were employing industry standards in their response, but said that an inattentive motorist threatened the lives of everyone at the scene. As a result of the crash, the fire engine sustained major damage and can no longer be used for service. But proper placement of the fire engine at the scene of the crash saved firefighters’ lives, according to fire officials. The engine was positioned roughly 200 feet away from the scene in the second right lane of a four-lane section of Highway 80.

The CHP had also placed a flare pattern approximately 300 feet behind the engine, fire officials said. Highway incidents are some of the most dangerous and unpredictable events for emergency responders, according to fire officials.

By Bay City News