A driver who failed to report a fatal car accident in the Visalia area of California, but fled the scene was taken into police custody this week. Merced Police Department officials arrested the suspect shortly after the early morning crash on Tuesday, June 10.
The California Highway Patrol dispatched officers to the scene on reports of a female pedestrian left injured on the roadway after a vehicle struck her. When the patrol officers arrived, however, they discovered that the victim was, in fact, one of three passengers expelled after a car crashed into a ravine. The encounter left two people dead, and two others injured on Highway 198, the CHP reported.
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Preliminary investigations revealed that the vehicle involved was traveling through the west traffic lanes of 198. For reasons still under investigation, the car left the road and crashed into a culvert, expelling three occupants in the process before coming to rest.
Two of the victims sustained fatal injuries, and first responders pronounced them deceased at the scene. The female victim who was initially mistaken for a pedestrian and a fourth passenger survived the crash with critical injuries. Medics transported them to a health facility for urgent medical aid. Their conditions at this time are unknown. None of the victims appeared to have been wearing a seatbelt when the accident happened.
Meanwhile, the vehicle operator, identified as Andralas Wallace, took off before the police arrived. Merced Police officers eventually apprehended him in Merced and put him under arrest. Charges against Wallace are pending.
Commuters should desist from fleeing accident scenes, but endeavor to report the car accident immediately to ensure a prompt response.
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