Four people were critically injured when they were thrown from a pickup truck after the driver lost control Thursday on a Westminster street.
The crash happened at Benton Avenue and Hoover Street at 3:30 a.m., Westminster Police Department said. The red Toyota pickup was heading north on Hoover when driver lost control, clipped a parked car and rolled.
There were five people in the vehicle, one driver and four male passengers, who were in the bed of the vehicle. The group was coming from a restaurant in the city, and police believe they had been drinking.
"We heard a big crash, like somebody ran over a trash can," said witness Danny Gilbertson. "Then I noticed there was a truck on its side."
The 19-year-old driver was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. Allowing passengers to ride in the bed of a truck also is a criminal offense.
"It's a reckless act to allow passengers in the back of your pickup," said Corp. Van Woodson, of th Westminster Police Department. "The passenger who were in the bed were all ejected and they were all seriously injured."
Witnesses told NBC4 they noticed the odor of alcohol after approaching the crash site.
