Passenger Killed As Suspected Drunk Driver Crashes Into Guardrail On Highway North Of Galt, CHP Says
GALT (CBS13) – A driver is facing charges of manslaughter and a DUI after his passenger was ejected from the car and killed in an early morning crash north of Galt, the California Highway Patrol said on Sunday.
South Sacramento CHP units were dispatched at around 3:45 a.m. to southbound Highway 99 just north of Twin Cities Road following reports of an overturned vehicle.
The driver, a 37-year-old man from Stockton, reportedly made a turning movement toward the left and struck a wood post metal guardrail in the center median. The CHP said the car then overturned on the dirt shoulder.
The passenger, a 29-year-old woman from Stockton was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. According to investigators, neither person was wearing their seatbelt at the time of the crash.
The driver was taken to the hospital to be treated for injuries.
After conducting a DUI check, officers placed the driver under arrest while he was still in the hospital. Once he was released, the man was then taken to the Sacramento County Main Jail.
The identity of the passenger will be released once next of kin has been notified.
"Once again, a life was taken as a result of the poor decision to drive drunk," the CHP said in a news release. "There are many options to get home if you have been drinking, the one option you should never choose is to get behind the wheel of a vehicle. DUI collisions are 100% preventable if you make the responsible decision."