Category : drunk driving

California Man Suspected of Felony DUI

A fatal car collision that occurred near Coachella, California has resulted in the deaths of three children and one adult. On Monday, October 27, 2008 at 1 a.m., a 2009 Cadillac CTS ran a stop sign and ploughed into a 1995 Ford Taurus.

Andres Z. Luna, a 33-year old from Thermal, California, was driving the Cadillac that killed the passengers of the Taurus – an 11-month old, a 7-year old, an 8-year old and a 30-year old woman. None of the victims’ names have yet been released by the authorities.

Following the accident, Luna was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving, as well as on four counts of vehicular manslaughter.

Details of the Accident

The car crash took place at Avenue 62 and Harrison Street in the desert town known as Coachella. After Luna ran a stop sign and crashed into the Taurus, the Taurus started spinning out-of-control, which only ended when the car rammed into a couple of concrete posts and a fire hydrant.

Upon these final impacts, the Taurus split in half. The Cadillac, on the other hand, remained intact following the crash.

While the three kids in the Taurus were thrown from the car during the events of the accident, the woman was still lodged in the wrecked vehicle. All four were already dead when authorities arrived at the scene.

Luna Faces Felony DUI and Vehicular Manslaughter Charges

The California Highway Patrol is still investigating whether or not Luna was under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol at the time of this tragic auto accident.

Authorities haven’t specified whether Luna submitted to a breathalyzer or whether a blood test was taken to evaluate his sobriety. As a result, Luna’s blood alcohol content (BAC) at the time of the crash is still unknown.

If convicted of felony DUI and four counts of vehicular manslaughter, Luna could face up to 40 years in a California State Prison, as each count of “Gross Vehicular Manslaughter with a DUI” carries up to a 10-year sentence.

(Source: CBS2)

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Bus Driver Charged with Felony DUI

Quinton Joey Watts, a 52-year old bus driver, has been charged with a felony DUI following a fatal crash that killed 8 and injured 35 other passengers. The bus, which was heading for a Northern Californian casino, crashed on an isolated road in Williams, California, roughly 60 miles north of Sacramento.

While no evidence of alcohol was found on the bus at the scene of the accident, the California Highway Patrol is investigating whether Watts was using prescription or illicit drugs while driving.

Details of the Accident

About 10 miles away from its destination, the Colusa Casino Resort, the charter bus drifted outside of its lane for a half a mile, after which Watts overcorrected his steering and swerved to try to get back in his lane.

The overcorrection caused the bus to roll and end up in a nearby ditch, right side up. Although no other cars were involved in this accident, the rolling of the bus caused the roof to collapse, all of the windows to be shattered, and the bus to be facing the opposite direction. Additionally, some of the passengers were ejected from the bus during the fatal crash.

Investigation Continues

Robert Kays, a spokesperson for the CHP, has stated that, in addition to investigating the presence of alcohol and narcotics on the bus/in Watts’ system, authorities are also looking into the licensing of the bus itself. Although the police would not divulge the name of the bus charter company, they said that both the Texas license plate on the bus and its registration were invalid.

Currently, victims of the crash are being treated at local area hospitals, including the Colusa Regional Medical Center, the Enloe Medical Center and the UC Davis Medical Center. Some remain in serious to critical condition, which means that Watts can be charged with further counts of manslaughter should any of these victims not survive treatment.

(Source: CNN, KTVU)

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