Scott Davis, cbs5az.comPHOENIX (CBS5) -
Eight vehicles could not get out of the way when a suspected drunk driver came right at them Tuesday afternoon.
Fortunately, only minor injuries were reported from the nine victims that were hit buy a black 2007 Infinity driven by Jorge Silva-Santana about 3:45 p.m. near 43rd Avenue and Indian School Road. All injuries were treated at the scene.
Silva-Santana, 46, was processed for DUI and determined to have a suspected blood alcohol level of .275 - almost three times the legal limit of 0.08 percent.
Silva-Santana was booked into jail on suspicion of extreme DUI, endangerment and other traffic-related offenses.
Bernadette Arzaga's beige Kia was one of the vehicles hit on 43rd Avenue in Phoenix. She was with her girlfriend and two children and noticed all the traffic ahead of her had stopped.
"All of a sudden I see this black car out of control," she said. "He hit the two cars in front of me and hit me. I went up onto the curb and sidewalk."
Phoenix Police Officer James Holmes told CBS 5 News the male driver was going north in the southbound lanes.
"He hit four cars at Glenrosa and kept going. Then he hit three cars at Highland. He's on three wheels now, and then hit another car near Camelback and his car caught fire," Holmes said.
Witnesses estimated Silva-Santana was driving 60 to 70 mph before hitting the cars on Highland, according to a probable cause statement.
Officers investigating the crash said the fire was very small but the accident scene stretched more than a half-mile.
Bernadette said everyone in her car escaped unharmed.
"The car in front of me, the guy was scratched and bleeding and had a bruise on his arm from the seat belt."
Holmes said none of the injuries were serious.
"These people that drink and drive," Bernadette said. "Really? I almost lost our lives and two kids' lives."
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