DUI Suspect With Child In Car Crashes At Temecula Intersection

TEMECULA, CA — A suspected DUI driver with a child inside his car failed to turn at the Temecula-T intersection at Pourroy Road and Promontory Parkway Thursday morning, California Highway Patrol Officer Mike Lassig said.

The 59-year-old driver failed to navigate the turn at the T-intersection and drove straight across Pourroy Road, across the opposite sidewalk into a landscaped hillside, where the car struck a large boulder.

"A two-year-old girl was inside the car at the time of the crash," Lassig said. "Though she was strapped into a car seat, the seat was not restrained and came loose during the crash."

The driver was arrested and being held at the Southwest Detention Center on pending charges of DUI and, though a misdemeanor, a charge of felony child endangerment may be added, Lassig said. A family member took custody of the child, he said.

At 10 a.m., Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department medics and CHP officers arrived at the scene of the single-car crash. Both the driver and the child were evaluated for injury. However, no hospitalization was required, according to Cal Fire spokesperson Rob Rosseen.

According to CHP reports, the vehicle recovery caused damages to the hillside and irrigation system.

"We are lucky that this child was not injured in the crash," Lassig said.

The CHP Temecula office does free car seat installations for anyone who needs them.

Grandparents, parents, and caregivers can have car seats properly installed and also evaluated for proper size/weight restrictions. Call CHP Temecula at 951-466-4300 for your free appointment.