PHOENIX — A DUI driver is accused of hitting a parked truck, crushing the legs of a man who was sitting in the back of the vehicle.
Phoenix police report that on Feb. 27, they responded to a residential street near 43rd Avenue and Union Hills Drive for a crash.
Police say a 19-year-old man was sitting in the back of a parked pickup truck waiting to unload some furniture. The man had his legs hanging off the end of the tailgate, when a car, driven by 31-year-old Bogdan Pop, struck the back of the truck.
The victim was pinned against the truck, and fire personnel had to use "specialized equipment" to separate the vehicles and free the victim. Court records show that paramedics had to use two tourniquets to prevent blood loss. The victim was transported with life-threatening injuries.
Hospital workers say that the crash "completely crushed" one leg and severely damaged the other. According to court records, the last hospital update was that the victim "was likely to lose both lower limbs."
After hearing the collision, witnesses reportedly saw Pop in the driver's seat, "manipulating the gear selector." Witnesses stayed with Pop until officers arrived. Police say a preliminary breath test resulted in a .184 blood-alcohol content.
Pop has been charged with aggravated assault.
