A pickup truck tore through an Immokalee neighborhood, clipping a mailbox, two fences and a stop sign before slamming into a parked truck and finally crashing into a house, according to Collier County deputies. The driver, identified as 45-year-old Rafael Hernandez Torrez, was taken into custody at the scene after a neighbor said he found him alone behind the wheel.
According to WINK News, deputies responded to 1709 Eighth Avenue North in Immokalee around 7:50 p.m. Saturday after a white Chevrolet pickup truck crashed into the home there. Before reaching the house, Hernandez Torrez reportedly struck another vehicle and left that scene, then went on to hit a mailbox, a fence, a stop sign, another fence and a parked pickup truck, according to Gulf Coast News Now, which cited the arrest report.
Neighbor Describes Finding Driver Alone in the Wreckage
A resident named Francisco Pascual told deputies he heard a loud noise coming from inside his home and went outside to investigate, per WINK News. He reportedly found Hernandez Torrez sitting in the driver's seat as the vehicle's only occupant. EMS medically cleared Hernandez Torrez at the scene before deputies took him into custody, the station reports.
Deputies said they smelled alcohol on Hernandez Torrez and observed him speaking with slurred speech, struggling to keep his balance and showing bloodshot eyes. The same report notes he did not pass Standard Field Sobriety exercises. Per the arrest report, he admitted to driving the pickup truck and told deputies he had had two alcoholic beverages.
Breath Sample Came Back Nearly Twice the Legal Limit
Deputies reported a second breath sample measured 0.146 grams of alcohol per 210 liters, well above Florida's 0.08 threshold for impairment. The arrest report also states Hernandez Torrez told deputies he did not have a driver's license and had never had one, per the same account cited by Gulf Coast News Now.
Under Florida law, a driver involved in a crash resulting only in vehicle or property damage must stop at the scene and remain there until meeting statutory requirements, with a violation classified as a second-degree misdemeanor, according to Florida Statutes, section 316.061. Separately, Florida's DUI statute makes it a first-degree misdemeanor when a violation causes or contributes to damage of another person's property, per Florida Statutes, section 316.193.
Multiple Charges Filed, Arraignment Set for December
Deputies charged Hernandez Torrez with five counts of DUI causing property damage, one count of leaving the scene of a crash involving property damage, one count of DUI with a breath-alcohol level of at least 0.08 per 210 liters, and one count of operating a motor vehicle without a valid license. WINK News reports his arraignment is scheduled for Dec. 2 at 8:30 a.m.
The string of damage left behind — a mailbox, two fences, a stop sign, a parked truck and now a family's home — illustrates just how far the pickup traveled before deputies caught up with the driver. No further case updates were available as of publication.
