NORTH FORK – A woman was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence after she crashed into the flagpole in front of the North Fork Post Office, then crashed again while trying to leave the scene.
Just after 4 p.m. this afternoon, a witness in the Pizza Factory says a woman later identified by CHP as Christa Cortez, 62, of North Fork, was becoming loud and agitated with restaurant staff, and left in a huff, saying she was going out to smoke a cigarette.
A few moments later, a loud crash was heard outside, and a Pizza Factory employee hurried out to the parking lot where he found that she had backed her car into the flag pole in front of the adjacent Post Office, “at a high rate of speed, due to being under the influence,” according to CHP.
An employee of the North Fork Supermarket ran over to the scene, and says the car had been backed so far up the pole that she feared it would flip over.
The Pizza Factory employee told the woman to stay put and he would call 911. However, he says, the woman put the Jeep Grand Cherokee in gear and took off toward the exit, nearly running him over. She exited the parking lot, crossed over Road 222 and crashed into the bank on the far side of the road.
The witness says he again ran up to the vehicle and told her not to leave, but again, she put the Jeep in gear and “floored it,” nearly hitting him.
For unknown reasons, she then pulled up to the front door of the North Fork Supermarket, where her car sat smoking, with damage to both the front and rear.
Cal Fire Engine 4255 responded out of the Rancheria Station, along with Madera County Engine 11. Firefighters evaluated the driver’s condition, which was described by witnesses as “really out of it.”
When CHP and Sierra Ambulance arrived at scene, the woman was taken to the ambulance where she was prepared for transport and questioned by the investigating officer.
She was arrested for DUI at the scene and released into the custody of the Madera Community Hospital, where she was treated for a broken nose and lacerations to the arm, according to CHP.
