El Dorado County Sheriff's deputy involved in three-car crash

Normally it is law enforcement that responds to vehicle crashes, but this time, it was an El Dorado County Sheriff's deputy who needed assistance.

Three cars were involved in the 6:30 p.m. accident on Monday, April 11, 2016 at the intersection of Lake Tahoe Blvd. and Tata Lane.

Laura Perez was traveling westbound in her 2002 Chevrolet Venture mini-van and was stopped on Lake Tahoe Blvd. to make a left-hand turn onto Tata Lane. A second car that was behind Perez, a 2003 Ford Ranger pickup driven by Cole Castanga, was also traveling westbound. Castanga stopped as Perez waited to make her turn.

A third vehicle behind the others, an El Dorado County patrol vehicle driven by Deputy Josh Perry, came up behind Castanga when, for unknown reasons, failed to stop and collided into the rear of the Ford truck, which then crashed into the rear of the mini-van.

After the collision, the deputy's Ford Explorer remained disabled in the inside lane of Lake Tahoe Blvd . Castanga and his truck were projected off the north roadway shoulder and came to rest on the grass at the Les Schwab Tire Center after colliding into a metal pole. Perez was able to pull her car off to the right shoulder of Tata Lane.

There were no serious injuries. According to the California Highway Patrol, as a result of this collision one of the two people hit was arrested for Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol (DUI) and the other was cited for being unlicensed.