A Hemet Department of Public Works employee who was killed while sitting in a parked municipal vehicle that was struck by a suspected drunken driver was publicly identified Friday.
A coroner’s report published Friday identified the worker as 40-year-old Derek Holt, a Hemet resident. Holt was parked just west of the intersection of Acacia Avenue and Kirby Street when the collision occurred shortly before 8 a.m., according to the Hemet Police Department.
Agency spokesman Alan Reyes alleged a motorist in a compact car was westbound on Acacia and plowed straight into the municipal truck.
Paramedics and patrol officers arrived within a few minutes and attempted life-saving measures on the victim, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, Reyes said.
He said that officers detained the driver, whose identity was not disclosed, and held the party for California Highway Patrol officers, who took over the investigation because it involved a municipal vehicle.
Further investigation confirmed the suspect allegedly had been driving under the influence. He was taken into custody without incident and booked into the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning.