Redlands Fire Department - DUI suspected in single-vehicle injury collision - 11-18-12

Redlands Police and Fire personnel responded to a single-vehicle injury collision Sunday night when a pickup truck collided with a light pole. The accident was reported shortly before 8:30 p.m. when the driver of the vehicle, a 2006 Toyota Tundra, struck a utility pole at Lugonia Avenue and Sixth Street, and crashed through two perimeter fences before colliding with a light pole at the intersection of Lugonia and Orange Street. The collision resulted in major damage to the pick-up requiring the use of the Jaws of Life.  It took firefighters approximately 30 minutes to free the trapped driver from the wreckage.  The driver of the vehicle was transported to Loma Linda University Medical Center by firefighter paramedics with moderate injuries. No other injuries were reported in the collision. The California Highway Patrol had received several earlier calls regarding the same vehicle driving westbound in the eastbound lanes of Lugonia Avenue at a high rate of speed with a damaged tire. Investigators have determined that the driver, 42-year-old Howard Shannon Howell, of Redlands, was driving under the influence of alcohol and prescription medications. The investigation is continuing. Anyone with additional information is asked to contact Redlands Police Dispatch at (909) 798-7681. Anonymous tips can be provided by texting 274637 using the keyword “REDTIP.” Certain non-emergency crimes may also be reported online using the Redlands Police Department’s CopLogic reporting system at http://ci.redlands.ca.us/police/coplogic/start-report.html.

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