A sheriff’s sergeant’s parked patrol vehicle was sideswiped by a suspected drunken driver on a Carlsbad freeway Sunday, sheriff’s officials said.
The incident occurred after the sergeant saw a vehicle driving at high speeds around midnight on Interstate 5 near Poinsettia Lane, said Lt. Ryan Wisniewski. The sergeant pursued the vehicle until the driver pulled over onto the side of the freeway.
Inside the vehicle was a group of minors, Wisniewski said. They exited the vehicle, and a tow truck was called.
The sergeant had positioned their vehicle to block the scene from oncoming traffic, Wisniewski said. While waiting for the tow truck, another vehicle — driven by a 39-year-old woman — struck the side of the sergeant’s vehicle.
The sergeant was inside the patrol car at the time and suffered minor injuries, Wisniewski said.
The woman kept driving until she crashed again near the Poinsettia Lane off-ramp.
Paramedics took her to a hospital.
Investigators said she was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash.
