Man Suspected Of DUI In Horrific Freeway Crash That Killed 4 People
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - A Sacramento man is behind bars after a fatal crash on I-80 east of Richmond at San Pablo Dam Road. Four people are dead and six others are injured.
Fred Lowe, 47, of Sacramento, was arrested early Sunday morning. Deputies with Contra Costa Sheriff's Department say Lowe was drunk at the time of the crash. Afterwards, he tried to get away causing a second crash nearby.
Authorities called the crash so horrific they could not initially tell the identity or ages of the victims.
"This is the definition of tragedy," said Officer Matthew Hamer, California Highway Patrol. "We've got someone who was irresponsible, drinking behind the wheel, and they have forever shaped this family's life."
Sunday night, CBS13 learned the wreck took the lives of four family members, including Daryl Horn: a father who was very active in his Napa community. He was part of the Napa Valley Baseball Club, the local little league which played at Borman Field.
Horn's 14-year-old son Joe was also killed in the crash.
Horn's oldest son Jared, who played baseball at Vintage High School in Napa is a Cal baseball player. He was also in the car but was the only one to survive.
CHP investigators say the first hit and run crash happened just after 8 o'clock Saturday night.
A blue Mercedes and a white Nissan sedan were both driving east on I-80 just before San Pablo Dam Road. Witnesses say the blue Mercedes hit the Nissan, causing it to spin out of control and over the center divider.
CHP says Lowe was driving that Mercedes. He didn't stop but got off at the next exit, El Portal, where he then hit a parked car and tried to get away.
"He started walking towards a shopping center," Officer Hamer said. "An eye witness saw the driver exit the vehicle. He then provided that description to the Contra Costa Sheriff's Deputies."
Deputies later found Lowe and arrested him. Witnesses say he was the one driving the car that caused the fatal accident. Once officers started the investigation, they realized Lowe didn't have a valid driver's license because he'd been arrested for drunk driving.
"His license had been suspended due to a prior DUI," Hamer said.
Lowe is charged with four counts of vehicular manslaughter, DUI, felony hit and run, and driving on a suspended license with a DUI violation. He's being held at the Contra Costa County Jail on 1.1 million dollars bail.