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A 23-year-old woman was killed when a drunk driver crashed into her car in Northridge. (Photo: ABC News)

A 23-year-old woman was killed Monday night in a head-on collision caused by a drunk driver who was traveling the wrong way on a Northridge street.

•   A drunk driver in a Ford Explorer crossed a double yellow line on a city street and crashed head-on into a Honda Civic.

•   The impact sheared off the entire right side of the Honda, killing the 25-year-old passenger inside.

•  The Explorer then crashed through an iron fence and landed in a resident’s yard.

•   The drunk driver — whose blood alcohol level was nearly three times the legal limit — was arrested on felony drunk driving and vehicular manslaughter charges.

The fatal drunk driving accident occurred at around 9:30 p.m., according to a Los Angeles Daily News report.

Police said 50-year-old Valerie Stewart of Van Nuys was drunk when she drove the wrong way on Parthenia Street.

Stewart’s eastbound Ford Explorer crossed over a double yellow line near Corbin Avenue and crashed head-on into a westbound Honda Civic, Los Angeles Police Department Capt. Ivan Minsal told KTLA News.

The violent collision sheared off the entire passenger side of the Honda, Minsal said. It also launched the Explorer through a wrought-iron fence and into the front yard of a nearby house.

The woman who was riding in the front passenger seat of the Honda, 25-year-old Griselda Sandoval of Northridge, died at the scene.

Her brother, 18-year-old Roberto Sandoval, also from Northridge, was driving the car. He was hospitalized with injuries that were not considered to be life-threatening, according to a report on the Northridge Patch news site.

Stewart was arrested and taken to a local hospital to be treated for minor injuries. LAPD Officer James Norton told NBC News that Stewart’s blood alcohol level was .22 — nearly nearly three times the legal limit. She faces charges of felony drunk driving and vehicular manslaughter.

Stewart was booked into the county jail. Her bail was set at $50,000.

Northridge Drunk Driving Accident Lawyers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented drunk driving accident victims and their families for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

Two people were hospitalized in a car accident caused by a speeding motorcycle on Highway 99 near Sacramento.

Police said alcohol may have been a factor in a Wednesday-night car accident caused by a motorcycle speeding at up to 120 mph on Highway 99 in Sutter County, about 20 miles north of Sacramento.

•   A motorcyclist who had alcohol on his breath was riding on two-lane Highway 99 at speeds of up to 120 mph. 

•   Still traveling at high speed, he tried to ride between two cars. 

•   One of cars had to swerve to the right and went off the road, rolling several times.

•   The driver of that vehicle was hospitalized with serious injuries.

The rural highway crash occurred shortly before 8 p.m., according to a report in the Appeal-Democrat.

California Highway Patrol Officer J.D. Moser said 23-year-old Dean J. Wright of Salinas — who may have been under the influence of alcohol — was riding a 2008 Honda motorcycle southbound on Highway 99 at a speed of up to 120 mph when the accident happened.

Wright was attempting to ride at high speed between two vehicles, just south of Howsley Road, and caused a 2002 Jeep Liberty to swerve off the west side of the road, Moser said. The Jeep flipped over and rolled several times.

The driver of the Jeep — 53-year-old Robert P. Perrin of Clipper Mills — suffered moderate injuries and was transported by ground ambulance to Rideout Memorial Hospital.

Rural Highway Accident Statistics

Only 23 percent of the U.S. population lives in rural areas, but 57 percent of all motor vehicle accident fatalities occur on rural roads, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The NHTSA’s latest figures show that the fatality rate per vehicle miles traveled was 2.5 times higher in rural areas than in urban areas.

A large majority of car accident deaths in rural areas — 67 percent — occur on highways, where the speed limit is 55 mph or higher. In urban areas, the opposite is true: 68 percent of all fatal crashes occur on roads where the speed limit is less than 50 mph.

Rural highways often are only two lanes, which presents significant danger to motorists who use the oncoming traffic lane to pass at high speed.

Finally, hospitals are few and far between in rural areas. The risk of dying on the way to the hospital is significantly higher in a rural accident than an urban one.

Sacramento Car Accident Lawyers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented car accident victims and their families for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

A mother and child were hospitalized with major injuries after a three-vehicle freeway crash on I-80 in Fairfield.

A mother and her 4-year-old daughter were hospitalized with major injuries Sunday in a three-vehicle accident on Interstate 80 in Fairfield.

•   Two pickup trucks hauling travel trailers collided on the I-80 freeway. One of them hit a guardrail, overturned, and blocked two lanes.

•   A Ford Focus swerved to avoid hitting the overturned truck. It crashed into the guardrail and rolled over.

•   A mother and daughter riding in the back seat of the Focus suffered major injuries.

•   The mother sustained severe head trauma and was airlifted to a Level II trauma center in very critical condition.

The freeway accident occurred at around 5 p.m., according to a  report published Wednesday in the Vacaville Reporter.

California Highway Patrol officers said the chain-reaction crash started with two eastbound pickup trucks traveling side-by-side in the No. 2 and No. 3 lanes on the freeway.

The truck in the No. 2 lane — a 2005 Nissan Frontier driven by 49-year-old Ricky Johnson of Elk Grove — sideswiped the other truck, a 2006 Dodge Durango driven by George Woodside of Reno, Nevada.

The impact caused Woodside to lose control of the Durango, which fishtailed, hit the guard rail, and rolled over. The overturned truck and trailer blocked two lanes on the freeway.

An eastbound 2001 Ford Focus, driven by 30-year-old Robert Sanchez of Napa, was in the far right lane. Sanchez swerved to the right to try to avoid crashing into the overturned Durango, but the Focus hit the guardrail and rolled over into a construction zone.

The CHP said 34-year-old Napa resident Rosa Alverado and her 4-year-old daughter were riding in the back seat of the Focus when it crashed. Alvarado suffered a severe head injury. She was airlifted via helicopter to John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek, where she was listed in very critical condition.

Her daughter, who also suffered major injuries, was transported via ground ambulance to Children’s Hospital Oakland. The other individuals involved in the accident sustained very minor injuries, the CHP said.

Fairfield Car Accident Lawyers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented car accident victims and their families for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

At least 17 people were injured in an Antelope Valley Freeway big-rig crash near Agua Dulce. (Photo: MSNBC)

Authorities reported as many as 17 people injured -- two critically — in an Antelope Valley Freeway big-rig crash that involved 19 vehicles Friday in Agua Dulce.

•    A big-rig that was traveling too fast on the freeway came around a curve and crashed into a bunch of cars that had slowed down for a CHP traffic hazard stop.

•    19 vehicles were involved in the pileup. 

•    17 people were hospitalized. Two of them were in critical condition.

The highway accident occurred at 9:42 a.m., about 20 miles northeast of Santa Clarita, according to an NBC News report.

California Highway patrol officers said that a big rig, which was hauling two trailers loaded with more than 25 tons of sand, was traveling southbound on the freeway — officially known as State Route 14 — at the time of the accident.

The truck was going too fast around a curve, south of the Escondido Canyon Road exit, and couldn’t stop for a CHP traffic hazard slowdown.

“At about 9:40 this morning, our units were responding to a traffic hazard,” CHP Sgt. Rick Miler told CBS News. “There was a bunch of pipes in the roadway. We had slowed traffic to clear the lanes. We had traffic stopped behind us, and (the big-rig) came around the corner, was unable to stop in time, and started a chain-reaction collision involving 19 vehicles.”

Cars were literally piled up on top of one another. Seven ambulances and 50 firefighters responded to the scene, Los Angeles County Fire Department spokesman Mark Savage said. Several people were trapped in their cars. At least one person had to be extricated with the Jaws of Life.

Savage said17 people were injured altogether. Two were treated and released at the scene, while 15 others were hospitalized. Fire officials said two of the victims were in critical condition.

Bill Edger, whose pickup truck was destroyed in the pileup, told ABC News it was a miracle no one was killed.

“We were stopped for the Highway Patrol to get some debris off of the road. All of a sudden, just boom, boom boom, like four big booms. The big 18-wheeler hit a car, who then pushed another car in front, who pushed a truck that went up in the air about 20 feet, landed on a Volkswagen and an SUV, which then rammed me in my back,” he said.

“People just really need to slow down,” fire inspector Quvondo Johnson said. “This type of accident is definitely caused by speed.”

CHP officers said it was not yet clear whether the big-rig driver would be cited or arrested.

Traffic was backed up for miles. All southbound lanes and two northbound lanes of the freeway were closed for almost five hours while officials cleared the accident and conducted a preliminary investigation.

Santa Clarita Truck Accident Lawyers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented truck accident victims and their families for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

A man was killed in Temecula when his car was hit by a drunk driver and slammed into a brick wall. (Photo: Alexis Neal | Temecula Patch)

A 27-year-old man was killed Sunday in Temecula when a drunk driver crashed into his car and slammed it into a brick wall.

•   A drunk driver crashed into a second vehicle in an intersection.

•   The impact slammed the second vehicle into a brick wall. The driver of that car died.

•   The drunk driver was hospitalized with moderate injuries.

•   The accident is still under investigation.

The fatal car accident occurred at about 5:20 a.m., according to a report in the Riverside Press-Enterprise.

Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Jim Larson said Temecula resident Jason Hart, 27, was traveling westbound on Rancho California Road when he approached Moraga Road.

A second vehicle, driven by a suspected drunk driver whose name was not released, was traveling east on Moraga Road and entered the intersection at the same time, investigators said. It was not clear whether the drunk driver ran a red light.

The two vehicles crashed. The powerful impact slammed Hart’s car into a brick wall.

Both drivers were trapped in their vehicles and had to be extricated by emergency crews, Riverside County Fire Department spokesperson Jody Hagemann told CBS News. Rescue personnel immediately transported Hart to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 6:27 a.m.

The other driver sustained moderate injuries and was taken to a hospital to be treated.

“At this time of the investigation, the driver of the second vehicle is suspected of being under the influence of alcohol, but the investigation is continuing,” Larson said.

Temecula Drunk Driving Accident Lawyers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented drunk driving accident victims and their families for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

Two passengers were killed in a drunk driving accident on Highway 180 in Fresno. (Video capture: ABC News)

A 24-year-old woman was jailed Saturday after a fatal drunk driving accident on Highway 180 in Fresno. Two of her passengers died.

•  Four Kings Canyon National Park employees were traveling in a Ford Mustang when the driver — who was drunk — lost control of the vehicle on Highway 180.

•  The car went off the road, hit some trees, and crashed down a steep embankment. 

•  Two of the passengers died at the scene. The other was hospitalized with moderate injuries.

•  The driver was jailed on multiple felony DUI charges, including two counts of vehicular manslaughter.

The deadly accident occurred at around 4:30 a.m., according to an ABC News report on KSFN Channel 30, a local network affiliate station.

The California Highway Patrol said Selma resident Stephanie Soza was drunk when she lost control of her 2003 Ford Mustang  on a steep and winding stretch of Highway 180 near Highway 245, about 50 miles east of Fresno.

The Mustang veered off of the narrow two-lane road, crashed into  a mile-post marker, hit a couple of trees, and then went down a steep embankment.

When the car hit the trees, the two male passengers in the car — an 18-year-old from Badger and 21-year-old Joshua Paramore from Philadelphia — hit their heads on the windshield frame, CHP Officer Carlos Gutierrez said. Both of them died at the scene.

Soza got out of the car, climbed back up to the highway, and flagged down a Tulare County ambulance that was passing by and already had a passenger on board, according to an article in the Fresno Bee. It took 30 minutes for paramedics to find the car. When they arrived, they found 22-year-old Katrina Rodriguez alive at the crash site.

Rodriguez suffered moderate injuries. The nature and extent of the injuries was not disclosed. Soza suffered minor injuries. Both women were taken to Community Regional Medical Center to be treated. Rodriguez remained hospitalized.

Soza was released into police custody. She was arrested and booked into Fresno County Jail on three counts of felony driving under the influence resulting in injury and two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.

Soza and all three of her passengers were living and working in Grant Grove Village in Kings Canyon National Park. Grief counselors were sent to the tight-knit community to help the other employees.

Fresno Drunk Driving Accident Lawyers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented drunk driving accident victims and their families for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

A man was struck and killed at a bus stop Thursday in Mountain View. (Video capture: Mountain View Patch)

Fatal pedestrian accident: Investigators have identified a man who was struck and killed by a speeding car while he waited at a bus stop Thursday in Mountain View.

•   A speeding car ran a red light and struck a man waiting in a bus shelter.

•   The car smashed the shelter and drug the victim into the road, then went up onto the lawn of an apartment building.

•   The victim died at the scene. The 21-year-old driver was hospitalized.

•   Police said drugs and alcohol do not appear to be involved.

Mountain View police spokesperson Jaime Garrett said the accident victim was 50-year-old William Ware of Mountain View, according to a report in the San Jose Mercury News.

Garrett said the accident occurred at about 9:30 a.m. at California Street and Escuela Avenue.

Witnesses told the Mountain View Patch news site that a navy-blue Audi A4 appeared to be speeding when it ran a red light at the intersection. The Audi struck Ware — who was standing at the VTA bus stop on the south side of the intersection — and dragged him about 30 or 40 feet.

The impact smashed up the bus shelter, but did not stop the Audi. The car continued up onto the grounds of the Maplewood Apartment Community and came to a stop on the lawn, about 100 feet from the bus shelter.

Ware died at the scene.

The driver of the Audi,  a 21-year-old Mountain View man, was taken to a hospital to be treated for undisclosed injuries, according to an NBC News report. Police said he did not appear to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Community members started a makeshift memorial on the bus bench as soon as word got out. In an article entitled, “Remembering William Ware,” people shared memories and announced details about Ware’s memorial service. He was remembered by bus drivers and people who worked at his favorite Peet’s coffee shop, as well as by neighbors and friends.

Pedestrian Fatality Statistics

More than 4,000 pedestrians are killed every year — 11 every day — after being struck by motor vehicles, according to the latest National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) statistics. An additional 59,000 are seriously injured.

The latest NHTSA figures show that:

• 69 percent of pedestrians killed in 2009 were males.
• Almost three out of every four pedestrian fatalities occur in urban areas (72 percent).
• The top four states for pedestrian fatalities are California, Florida, Texas, and New York. These four states make up 41 percent of pedestrian fatalities nationwide while only accounting for 5 percent of the total traffic fatalities across the country.
• Nearly one-half (48 percent) of all pedestrian fatalities occurred on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday — 70 percent occur at night (4 p.m. to 4 a.m.).

California Pedestrian Accident Lawyers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented pedestrian accident victims and their families for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

A faulty tire caused an SUV rollover accident that killed a family of four. (Photo: KBAK News video)

A family of four was killed — and two others were hospitalized — on Father’s Day when a faulty tire caused an SUV rollover crash on Highway 99 near Bakersfield.

•   A family of six was traveling home to Modesto on Father’s Day when the tread separated from the left rear tire on their SUV.

•   The SUV veered out of control, rolled over, and went off of the highway.

•   Four people died at the scene. The other two were hospitalized with serious injuries.

The fatal highway accident occurred at 2:51 p.m., according to a report in the Modesto Bee.

California Highway Patrol Officer Robert Rodriguez said 44-year-old Jose Castillo of Medesto was driving a 2001 Ford Excursion SUV northbound on Highway 99 near Pond Road when the accident happened.

Castillo and five other family members —  65-year-old Lino Castillo, 63-year-old Estella Castillo, 38-year-old Yolanda Castillo, 17-year-old Marcos Castillo, and 11-year-old Juan Castillo — were traveling home from Northridge.

The vehicle was traveling through a 70 mph zone between Bakersfield and Modesto, near Pond Road, when the tread separated from a faulty left rear tire, CHP Officer Kirk Arnold told the Fresno Bee.   The SUV veered out control, ran off the road, and overturned, Arnold said.

Estella Castillo, who was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected from the car, Rodriguez said. She died at the scene. Juan, Lino, and Yolanda Castillo were wearing seatbelts, but they too died at the scene.

Jose and Marcos Castillo suffered what appeared to be moderate injuries, according to CHP Officer Rodriguez. They were transported to Kern Medical Center in Bakersfield. Specific information about the nature of their injuries and their conditions was not immediately known.

Officer Rodriguez said extreme heat also may have been a contributing factor in the accident. The air temperature was at least 108 degrees, and the asphalt on Highway 99 would have been much hotter, he said.

Rodriguez also suggested that the vehicle may have been “overloaded” because there were six occupants and their luggage. However, the 3.4-ton SUV, which is larger than a Chevrolet Suburban, was designed for nine passengers plus a full cargo load, according to its specifications.

Dangers of Defective Tires

More than 10,000 injuries and almost 500 deaths are caused by tire failures each year. One of the most common tire defects associated with these accidents is tread separation.  The tread is what grips the road. When a tire is defective and the tread separates from it at freeway speed, it is difficult if not impossible for a driver to control the vehicle. Deadly accidents — including rollovers — can occur as a result. Ford has had many problems with tire tread separation causing rollovers on its pickup trucks and sports utility vehicles.

Find Out the Real Age of Your “New” Tires 

One important factor in the potential for tread separation in faulty tires is their age — how long it has been since the tire was manufactured. Even tires that are never used become old and dry over time, particularly in warm climates. This can lead to cracking, greater stress on the tire, and tread separation — “catastrophic failure.”

Many consumer safety advocates suggest that tires may not be safe after six years, regardless of how few miles they have been driven. Yet, according to an ABC 20/20 News report, some retailers, such as Sears, sell new tires that are up to 12 years old. Manufacturers are required to include that information in the Tire Identification Number (often just called the serial number) on at least one sidewall of every tire. The number starts with the letters “DOT” (see photo below).

All tires manufactured in the U.S. since 2000 list the week and year as the last four digits of the identification number. In the case of the photo above, the digits are “5107,” which refers to the 51st week of 2007.

Bakersfield SUV Rollover Accident Lawyers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented SUV rollover accident victims and their families for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

A cyclist remains in critical condition after being struck by a hit-and-run driver in Sonoma County.

Hit-and-run accident: A 68-year-old driver who fled the scene after he hit a cyclist in Penngrove late last week appeared in Sonoma County Superior Court Wednesday to postpone his arraignment. The victim remains hospitalized in critical condition.

•   A pickup truck swerved off the roadway, hit a cyclist on the paved shoulder, and didn’t stop or even slow down.

•   The cyclist was critically injured and remains in a coma.

•   The hit-and-run driver was later arrested on felony hit-and-run charges. 

The bicycle crash occurred last Friday, shortly after 8:30 a.m., according to a report in the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat.

California Highway Patrol Officer Eric Hill said that 68-year-old Steve Norwick, a retired Sonoma State University environmental studies professor, was riding his bicycle southbound on the paved right shoulder of Petaluma Hill Road when he was struck from behind near East Railroad Avenue.

Based on physical evidence and witnesses’ statements, CHP investigators believe that 68-year-old Robert Cowart of Rohnert Park was driving his Dodge Ram pickup truck when he drifted onto the shoulder, hit Norwick, and kept driving without stopping.

Norwick was riding with his friend Rolfe Erickson, a retired geology professor. Erickson was about 10 feet ahead of Norwick when the accident happened. He said the truck never even slowed down, and had to veer back onto the roadway to avoid hitting him as well.

The impact knocked Norwick down an embankment and into a drainage ditch. He was unresponsive when firefighters arrived, according to Rancho Adobe Fire Captain Pete Albini.

Norwick suffered life-threatening catastrophic injuries to his head, spine, and kidneys, CHP officer Kerri Post told ABC News. He remains in a coma at the Intensive Care Unit at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.

The collision left telltale damage to the truck, according to the Press-Democrat:

The impact sheared off the truck’s right side mirror and knocked out its front right headlight, leaving evidence at the scene that helped investigators piece together a description of the suspect’s vehicle.

CHP investigators said there was absolutely no way that the driver would not be aware that he hit someone, but Cowart did not come forward. Later that day, two off-duty law enforcement officers who live in Cowart’s neighborhood — CHP Officer Robert Powers and Rohnert Park Public Safety Sgt. Jeff Nicks –saw him drive up to his home in the damaged truck.

Nicks said Cowart “spoke matter of factly” about having hit a cyclist on the way to work but he said the cyclist was not hurt. He said the cyclist had been riding in the middle of the road when he hit him. He also said he stopped to check on the cyclist and thought he was OK.

The officers, who already were familiar with some of the details of the accident, initiated an arrest on charges of felony hit-and-run. Later Cowart changed his story and admitted that “he never stopped,” because he was late for work, Hill said. He was booked into jail and released on $30,000 bail.

When Cowart appeared in court Wednesday, he was in a wheelchair and appeared frail and unsteady, according to updated reports in the Press-Democrat, the Community Voice, and CBS News. His attorney said he had recently had a stroke and an aneurysm that may be impairing blood flow in his brain.

Deputy District Attorney Troye Shaffer said Cowart had three prior DUI arrests — two in 1989 and one in 2005 — and asked the judge to raise bail to $100,000. The arraignment will resume on Monday.

Regardless of what happens in Cowart’s criminal trial, the victim and his family will retain the legal right to be compensated for his injuries.

Sonoma County Bicycle Accident Lawyers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented bicycle accident victims and their families for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.

A drunk driver caused a freeway accident that killed two people and then fled the scene on foot. (Photo: Fox 5 News)

Fatal hit-and-run crash: Police announced Tuesday that they had arrested a drunk driver who fled the scene after causing an accident that killed two people Sunday morning on Interstate 805 in San Diego.

•   A drunk driver crashed into a car on I-805 early and fled the scene on foot.

•   Two other vehicles — a pickup truck and a motorcycle — crashed into the wreckage.

•   Two people were killed and two others were hospitalized with serious injuries.

•   Police found and arrested the hit-and-run driver two days later.

The deadly DUI crash occurred shortly before 2:30 a.m., according to a CBS News report.

California Highway Patrol officer Art Athans said 28-year-old Pedro Antonio Sainz — who allegedly drank 17 beers before he got behind the wheel – lost control of his northbound 1994 Honda Civic on the 805 freeway.

Sainz’s car crashed into a 2005 Toyota Matrix driven by 66-year-old Ramiro Aguilar of Las Vegas. His 47-year-old wife, Bertha, and their 13-year-old son also were in the car. The Matrix flipped over and rolled several times before it came to rest in the middle of the freeway near Imperial avenue, Athans said.

Sainz then allegedly pulled over to the right shoulder, abandoned his vehicle, and ran away on foot, according to an NBC News report.

A 1997 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck driven by 27-year-old Fernando Garcia Guzman crashed into the wrecked Matrix, ejecting Aguilar and his wife out onto the roadway. Moments later, a Yamaha YZF motorcycle driven by 32-year-old Robert Manual Landa approached the scene and crashed into the pileup.

Bertha Aguilar died at the scene. Her husband suffered severe injuries and was transported to Scripps Mercy Hospital, where he died about eight hours later. Their son survived without any known physical injuries.

Guzman, who had been driving the pickup truck, was hospitalized with moderate injuries. Landa, the motorcyclist, was hospitalized with major injuries. Both were expected to recover.

CHP investigators located and arrested Sainz at his San Diego home Tuesday morning. He was being held in San Diego Central Jail on $150,000 bail.

UPDATE

Sainz was arraigned Thursday and pleaded not guilty to four felony charges, including gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, according to a CBS News report.

Deputy District Attorney Kristen Spieler called Sainz an “absolute menace” and said he drank 17 beers at a bar before he got behind the wheel, caused a double-fatal accident, and ran away from the scene.

San Diego Drunk Driving Accident Lawyers

The trial attorneys at Blackman Legal Group, a California-based law firm founded by renowned trial attorney Clifford Blackman, have successfully represented drunk driving accident victims and their families for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.