VIDEO: Norwalk Woman Driving on Wrong Side of Road in Cerritos is a Repeat DUI Offender

A  detective says a 48-year-old Norwalk woman who was under the influence of alcohol and prescription drugs was also driving with a suspended license for a previous DUI offense when she slammed head-on into a pickup truck near Kennedy Elementary School last week.

, said sheriff's traffic Detective Tim Britt.

“Both vehicles were going about 40 miles per hour, so it was a pretty gruesome crash,” Britt told Patch.

The detective said the size of the 77-year-old Cerritos man’s pickup helped brace the impact of the collision, which caused the vehicle’s airbags to deploy.

“Luckily no one died in this crash,” the detective said, adding that the Cerritos man was wearing a seatbelt and suffered only minor bumps and bruises.

“He was a really nice guy who is an engineer who actually helped designed seatbelts for the space program at one time,” Britt said. “So it was fortunate that he had on a seatbelt.”

(Video and photos taken after the accident show Ramirez's mangled Suburban being towed away from the site.)

According to a preliminary investigation, Ramirez is suspected of being under the influence of both alcohol and prescription medication. She was brought to Long Beach Memorial Hospital, where she was treated for injuries suffered in the accident along with being given a blood test to determine her blood-alcohol content level – the results of which have not yet been released, according to Britt.

She is currently being held in lieu of $5,000 bail, according to the Sheriff's Department's website. 

Ramirez, who was driving with a suspended license for a previous DUI conviction, will likely be facing thousands of dollars in fines, jail time and will be required to have an ignition interlock device (also known as a breathalyzer) installed in any vehicle she drives, Britt said.

“She obviously had no idea where she was going” given the side of the street she was driving on, he said. “Fortunately she did not hit a pedestrian or someone in a small car, otherwise there could have been some fatalities in this accident.”

The Perils of Driving While Under the Influence

Britt said the dangers of driving while intoxicated should never be taken lightly.

“When you choose to drive under the influence, you’re putting your own life and the lives of others at risk on the roadway,” he said. “Driving while intoxicated can impair your judgment, your coordination and ability to react while driving.”

California law defines DUI impairment as a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08% or above.  

New 2012 DUI Law Goes Into Effect for Repeat DUI Offenders

Starting on Jan. 1, 2012, Section 23579 was added to the California Vehicle Code, which authorizes courts to revoke a driver's license for 10 years if a person is convicted of three or more DUIs. Under this law enacted in 2010, a motorist may be allowed to apply for reinstatement of his or her driver’s license with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) after five years, if the person installs an Ignition Interlock Device (IID) in their vehicle. The law allows the DMV to terminate this restricted license if the IID requirements are not met. (AB 1601, Hill)