A Ford Expedition carrying five passengers, including four children, was hit by a Nissan pickup driven by a driver who police said failed to obey a stop sign. (The Enterprise/Kristine de Leon)
ONTARIO – A crash Friday night on Railroad Avenue left seven people injured, including a 4-year-old boy and a 26-year-old Nyssa man now facing criminal charges including four counts of third-degree assault, two counts of fourth-degree assault, reckless driving and drunk driving.
The affidavit states that Malheur County Deputy Michael Hale wrote, “I was notified by ER staff that Mr. Guzman had a BAC of .19%.”
Oregon’s blood alcohol limit for drivers is .08 percent.
According to Malheur County Sheriff Brian Wolfe, the crash occurred when Floriberto Trinidad Guzman, 26, was driving south in a white Nissan pickup and failed to obey a stop sign at the intersection of Railroad Avenue and Clark Boulevard. The location is in farm country west of Ontario.
The pickup collided with a Ford Expedition driven by Margarita Vargas, 35, Vale.
Four children were inside Vargas’s vehicle, including two 15-year-old girls, one 14-year-old girl and the 4-year-old. The boy was taken by ambulance to Saint Alphonsus Medical Center-Ontario and later flown to Boise with serious internal injuries.
Trinidad Guzman’s passenger, 54-year-old Nicacio Cruz, Nyssa, and the 14-year-old girl were transported by Lifeflight to Saint Alphonsus Medical Center-Ontario.
According to the affidavit, four victims were transported to Boise hospitals with life threatening injuries.
Trinidad Guzman was treated at Saint Alphonsus Medical Center- Ontario. He was later lodged into the Malheur County Jail. He was scheduled to be arraigned in Malheur County Circuit Court Monday afternoon.
News tip? Contact reporter Yadira Lopez at [email protected] or 541-473-3377.
CORRECTION: The suspect is 26, not 27 as listed initially as provided by law enforcement.