Ventura Woman Arrested For DUI After 101 Freeway Crash In Thousand Oaks Kills Her 2 Passengers
THOUSAND OAKS (CBSLA) — A Ventura woman was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs and vehicular manslaughter after a three-vehicle crash killed two young people on the 101 Freeway in Thousand Oaks.
Gina Garcia, 58, remains hospitalized with major injuries she sustained in the crash. She is expected to survive, California Highway Patrol Officer Ryan Mayer said.
The crash happened just after noon Thursday on the northbound 101 Freeway at Borchard Road. When first responders arrived, they found one vehicle off the freeway and another on its roof in lanes.
The preliminary investigation into the crash determined Garcia's Kia had drifted into the fast lane and hit a gray Chevrolet SUV, then veered back into the slow lane, where it hit a black Toyota sedan. The Kia ended up in the brush alongside the freeway and hit a tree, overturned, then landed on its roof.
Garcia's two passengers – a 24-year-old Oxnard woman and a 25-year-old Ventura man -- suffered fatal injuries. Their names were withheld pending notification of their families.
The impact of the collision sent the Chevrolet SUV into the center divider and back across the lanes to the right shoulder. The driver of the third vehicle, the Toyota, was able to stop safely on the shoulder. The drivers of those vehicles were not hurt.
The crash shut down the right lane of the 101 Freeway's northbound lanes for five hours.
