FHP says drunk driver hit parked cruiser

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - The Florida Highway Patrol says a drunk driver struck a parked cruiser, causing serious injuries to one of their troopers.

Lt. Lenita King is now home resting and recovering after being treated at Orlando Regional Medical Center.  Just before 2 a.m. on Friday, FHP said 24-year-old Kenneth Fernandez hit two parked vehicles in a construction zone on State Road 528.  One of those cars was an unmarked trooper's patrol car.

"She was inside the lane closure with her lights on activated in her car. This vehicle came through the lane closure and struck her in the rear of her vehicle," explained FHP Lt. Timothy Freebern.  "She was very, very, lucky. It was a severe hit."

The crash pinned the trooper's car along the shoulder. Troopers said Fernandez then struck a construction truck, before coming to a stop at the scene.  King was trapped inside her vehicle for 40 minutes, until she was rescued. 

Fernandez refused medical treatment and failed a field sobriety test, blowing a .140 on a breathalyzer, FHP said -- well above the legal limit.  He was arrested and charged with a DUI.

The crash remains under investigation.