Two motorcyclists were hospitalized Tuesday night after a collision with a drunk driver in Lucerne. (Photo: Lake County Record-Bee)

Two drunk driving crashes in one night left one 19-year-old dead and five people seriously injured in Lake County.

•   Two drunk driving accidents occurred within less than two hours in Lake County.

•   The first was a single-car crash in which a drunk driver lost control of her vehicle and went off of a roadway and down an embankment. One of her passengers was ejected from the car and died at the scene.

•   In the second accident, a drunk driver turned into the path of a motorcycle. Both riders were ejected from the bike and had to be airlifted to a hospital for treatment.

The first accident was a single-vehicle crash that occurred just before 7 p.m. on Highway 29, according to a Lake County News report.

California Highway Patrol investigators said  23-year-old Nina A. Litzin of Clearlake was driving a a 1997 Chrysler Sebring convertible southbound on Highway 29 north of the Spruce Grove Road Extension and Arabian Lane.

Litzin was drunk and driving recklessly whe she lost control of the vehicle, the CHP said.  Another motorist reported that her vehicle was swerving behind them, attempted to pass, and then went off the roadway and over an embankment.

CHP investigators confirmed that Litzin’s vehicle went off the west roadway edge near a guardrail, continued down an embankment , struck a tree and several large rocks, and then overturned.

A teen who was seated in the right front passenger seat — 19-year-old Leah Hernandez of Clearlake, was ejected from the car when it overturned. She died at the scene.

Another passenger, 21-year-old Tamara L. Davidson, also of Clearlake, was riding in the back seat. She suffered lesser injuries and was airlifted to  Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.

Litzen sustained major injuries, including a broken back. She was arrested for drunk driving and then airlifted via helicopter to  Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.

Second DUI Crash: Highway 20, 8:45 p.m.

The second  accident occurred at around 8:45 p.m., according to a report in the Lake County News.

CHP officer Erica Coddington said that 31-year-old Jolyn Jennifer Johnson of Lucerne was under the influence of alcohol when she drove her 2004 Infiniti eastbound on Highway 20 at the time of the accident.

Johnson turned left onto Oak Crest Avenue, directly into the path of a 2003 Harley Davidson motorcycle ridden by 33-year-old Bobby Glen Hendry Jr. of Orland.

Hendry could not avoid hitting Johnson’s vehicle with the front of his motorcycle, Coddington said. The impact ejected both Hendry and his passenger, 24-year-old Orland resident Terra Noel England, from the motorcycle. Both of the victims landed on the roadway, in the westbound traffic lane.

Hendry was knocked unconscious, according to a report in the Lake County Record-Bee. He also suffered a laceration to his left knee and abrasions. England had a fractured right arm, and pain to her left leg and hip.

Both victims were airlifted via helicopter to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. Their conditions were not known.

Johnson sustained injuries that caused pain in her neck and back, the CHP report said. She was transported via ground ambulance to Sutter Lakeside Hospital in Lakeport. She was treated at the hospital and then arrested on drunk driving charges.

Lake County 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 for 35 years. The nationwide toll-free number to call for a free consultation is 1-866-692-8126.