Fire Hydrant, Utility Pole Victims of Drunk Driving Accident, Say Police

A drunk driver smashed his car into a fire hydrant, telephone pole and three parked cars early Saturday morning, according to allegations in a Somerville police report.

The report says police responded to the area around 51 Tufts St. at about 12:30 a.m. after the accident. It says people were trying to get the driver, Ricardo Pimentel, 41, of 6 Cypress St., out of his 1999 Jeep Cherokee, which had sustained heavy front-end damage.

Witnesses told police that Pimentel had driven his Jeep out of a parking lot on Tufts Street, hitting the pole, the hydrant and cars, the report says.

One witness heard the commotion and came outside to step in front of his wife's car, according to the report. However, the witness had to move out of the way when the Jeep backed up into the car he was trying to protect, it says.

One Honda Accord was launched about 20 feet from its parking space, the report says.

According to the report, Pimentel failed his field sobriety tests, and he was arrested and charged with unlicensed operation of a vehicle and operating under the influence of liquor.

The above information was supplied by the Somerville Police Department. Where arrests or charges are mentioned, it does not indicate a conviction.