CHP officer hospitalized following crash involving suspected DUI driver on 22 Freeway

GARDEN GROVE, Calif. - A woman suspected of driving under the influence is behind bars and a California Highway Patrol officer is recovering at an Orange County hospital following a multi-car crash on the 22 Freeway Sunday night.

An injured CHP officer is loaded into an ambulance on a gurney

A California Highway Patrol officer was injured when his patrol vehicle was struck by a suspected DUI driver as he was assisting a motorist on the side of the 22 Freeway in Garden Grove. (Credit: ONSCENE.TV)

The three-vehicle collision was reported at 8:45 p.m. shortly after the CHP officer stopped to help the driver of a disabled vehicle that was having mechanical problems on the westbound side of the 22 Freeway in Garden Grove.

While the officer was on the shoulder of the highway, the driver of a Chevrolet Tahoe, identified as 36-year-old Krystal Amy Ramos, veered off the freeway and onto the shoulder. The Tahoe slammed into the back of the CHP patrol car as well as the disabled vehicle.

Firefighters work to free CHP officer from crushed patrol cruiser

The CHP officer's vehicle was struck by a suspected DUI driver as he was assisting another motorist on the side of the 22 Freeway in Garden Grove. (Credit: ONSCENE.TV)

The CHP officer became trapped inside his patrol vehicle for at least ten minutes. Firefighters with the Orange County Fire Authority used the Jaws of Life to free to officer from his patrol vehicle.

The CHP has not released the officer's name. However, he has been identified as a six-year veteran of the force. He was rushed to UCI Medical Center for the moderate injuries he sustained in the crash.

Two minors, a male and a female, were also inside the SUV at the time of the crash. Authorities said they were uninjured and released to a family member.

Chevrolet SUV that crashed into a vehicle and a CHP vehicle on the side of the freeway

Authorities say that the driver of the Chevrolet SUV was placed under arrest for suspicion of driving under the influence. (Credit: ONSCENE.TV)

Ramos was taken to the Garden Grove Hospital Medical Center. After she was medically cleared, she was booked into the Orange County Jail on the charges of felony DUI and child endangerment.

Anyone who witnesses the crash is asked to contact the CHP Westminster office at 714-892-4426.