Driver Accused Of Marijuana DUI In Fatal 880 Crash
FREMONT (CBS SF) -- One man was arrested, three people were dead and five others injured in a multiple-vehicle crash that shut down all lanes of northbound Interstate Highway 880 in Fremont overnight, authorities said.
California Highway Patrol Officer Manuel Leal said the five-vehicle collision that occurred around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday on I-880 near Stevenson Boulevard.
The crash resulted in three people being ejected from a Cadillac Escalade and sustaining fatal injuries. The Alameda County Coroner's Office identified two of the victims as 9-year-old Brooke Limas and 14-year-old Christy Limas.
The woman killed was identified as 39-year-old Noelle Johnson of Manteca.
Five others were taken to a local hospital, Leal said, including a youngster who was in critical condition.
The CHP said 21-year-old Dang Nguyen Hai Tran from San Jose was driving a Toyota Camry involved in the collision and was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence of marijuana.
He was scheduled to be arraigned on DUI, vehicular manslaughter and other charges on Thursday.
Witnesses told investigators that Tran was reportedly driving recklessly and at a high rate of speed prior to the collision.
"Driving under the influence of marijuana is just as bad as driving under the influence of alcohol," Leal said at an early morning news conference. "We come upon crashes like this and you never get used to it. It's sad, it's a tragedy, our hearts go out to the families."
All northbound lanes of 880 reopened shortly after 6:00 a.m., authorities said.
The accident remained under investigation.
