Pedestrians critically injured when drunk driver crashes into Pismo Beach motel
Two pedestrians walking on the sidewalk were critically injured when a drunk driver crashed a car into the side of a Pismo Beach Motel on Wednesday night, Cal Fire said.
Santa Barbara County resident Eriberto Rodriguez Reyes, 23, drove his vehicle into Ocean Palms Motel on the corner of Ocean View and Dolliver Street at 8:30 p.m., injuring two people.
The pedestrians were transported to Adventist Health Sierra Vista hospital in San Luis Obispo with critical injuries, and they were in stable condition as of Thursday afternoon, the Pismo Beach Police Department said.
Rodriguez Reyes suffered minor injuries in the crash, Cal Fire battalion chief Paul Lee said. He was the only person in the vehicle when firefighters arrived on the scene.
Rodriguez Reyes was intoxicated, arrested for felony DUI and booked into the San Luis Obispo County Jail, police said.
The crash left a gaping hole in the side of one of the motel buildings, damaging about 25% of that structure, Lee said. The motel rooms were not impacted by the crash.
A building official inspected the damaged structure, which contained the motel lobby. The inspector allowed the business owners to briefly enter the lobby to retrieve their electronics.
The building official was set to inspect the structure again on Thursday before the owners could proceed with repairs, Lee said.
The motel will continue operating, as the rooms were not damaged, Lee said.
This story was originally published September 25, 2025 at 10:51 AM.
