Minor Crash Turns Major When 3rd Car Hits

Two motorists involved in a minor accident early Saturday were injured when a third motorist--who was allegedly drunk--struck one of their cars and shoved it into them as they stood discussing the accident, police reported.

Sgt. Ron Lovejoy said Guadalupe Ramos, 25, of Huntington Park suffered major head injuries and was in guarded condition at UCI Medical Center in Orange. The other man, Jose Ramirez Hernandez, 23, of Stanton, was taken to Humana Hospital-West Anaheim, where he was treated and released.

Ramos was driving his Toyota Celica south on Brookhurst Street about 2 a.m. when Hernandez struck him from behind, sending the Celica spinning into a railroad crossing guard just north of Crestwood Lane, Lovejoy said.

Minutes later, as the two men stood talking, a southbound Ford LTD driven by Felipe Hernandez Ramirez rammed into Hernandez’s Datsun 280Z. The momentum of the collision propelled the Datsun into the two men and the disabled Celica, Lovejoy said.

As Ramos lay in the street with severe injuries, Ramirez apparently ran off along the railroad tracks, according to police. Officers found him shortly thereafter and arrested him about half a mile east of the accident.

Ramirez was arrested on suspicion of felony hit-and-run and drunk driving. He was held in lieu of $10,000 bail, Lovejoy said.

Hernandez was found hiding in some bushes about 50 feet away from the crash, Lovejoy added. He too had been drinking, according to police. Hernandez was booked at the Anaheim jail on suspicion of misdemeanor drunk driving and remained in custody Saturday in lieu of $2,500 bail.