Witnesses said driver roamed street aimlessly after collision
MID-CITY — A driver whom police believe was under the influence of drugs and alcohol yesterday collided with an oncoming Jeep, propelling it through the air into a fire hydrant — water from which nearly drowned the driver, until witnesses came to the rescue.
At 7:44 a.m. on Tuesday, Santa Monica police officers responded to the intersection of 11th Street and Santa Monica Boulevard regarding a traffic accident with injuries. When officers arrived to the scene, an investigation determined that a person driving westbound in a gray Ford Probe on Santa Monica Boulevard crashed into a silver Jeep Grand Cherokee that was traveling southbound on 11th Street. Witnesses said the Jeep flew into the air and landed on a fire hydrant located on the southwest corner of the intersection. The broken fire hydrant reportedly began filling the Jeep with water.
The Ford Probe veered in the same direction and caused extensive damage to a traffic signal.
The drivers of both vehicles were transported to the hospital and treated for injuries. Lt. Frank Fabrega with the Santa Monica police said it’s still being determined who was at fault in the collision. However, Fabrega said the driver of the Probe was believed to be under the influence of drugs and alcohol when the wreck occurred, and witnesses said he ran a red light and caused the collision.
The collision prompted authorities to block traffic on Santa Monica Boulevard between Lincoln Boulevard and 10th Street, during which time police conducted their investigation and emergency personnel helped clear the scene.
Traffic resumed on Santa Monica Boulevard after 9:30 a.m. Police have not yet revealed the identities of those involved in the wreck.
At least a dozen local mechanics and construction workers responded to the scene, witnesses said. They ran out from the nearby Audi dealership and a construction site after hearing the collision. Working together, they moved the Jeep away from the fire hydrant, broke a window, and hoisted the partially submerged driver out of the vehicle, witnesses said.
The driver was laid on a stretcher and transported by ambulance to the hospital.
Meanwhile, the Probe driver, described by witnesses as a bare-chested Caucasian male wearing purple athletic shorts, emerged bloody and angry from his car. According to witnesses, who said both cars involved in the wreck carried only one passenger, the man wandered around the intersection for several minutes while shouting, “Where’s my brother?”
From the intersection, he walked toward a Big Blue Bus, which had pulled over on the north side of Santa Monica Boulevard.
The suspect, rubbing his hands against the bus windows, continued to shout as passengers watched him in silence — an experience one passenger described as “surreal.”
Soon after, the suspect was apprehended by five police officers, witnesses said. At press time, no charges had been filed against the man, according to police.
Maria Gonzales, who works in the service department at the Audi dealership, said she was on the telephone and gazing out at the intersection when she saw the collision.
“I saw the Jeep fly into the air and land on the fire hydrant,” Gonzales said. “There was water and debris all over the place. I couldn’t believe it.”
Gonzales said she was surprised and touched by the quick response of the mechanics, construction workers and other onlookers.
“It’s too bad it takes something so tragic these days for people to pull together and help each other out, but I’m really glad they did.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 31, 2005. Read the original PDF.