At about 6:20 p.m. on Sunday, October 4th, a female passenger lost her life in a DUI-induced crash on Highway 41 in California’s Fresno area. The California Highway Patrol arrested the driver, Catherina Monson, 21, on suspicion of felony DUI.
The woman is also facing a charge of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and would need representation from a drunk driving attorney. In the crash report, the CHP stated that officers responded to the crash site after a traffic collision call.
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The incident happened on the northbound lane of the highway at the Highway 180 transition. The preliminary investigation uncovered that Monson drove a Buick LeSabre northbound on H-41, with the 21-year-old female.
The highway patrol said that the suspect missed the transition road to H-180 and attempted to transition unsafely. She lost control of the car and crashed into the center divider of the roadway.
The Buick overturned and landed in the northbound lane. The passenger died at the scene, and the investigators said that neither Monson nor the victim wore their seatbelt. The investigation remains active.
Under California law, a person would get charged with felony DUI if the accident caused injury or death, if he or she has three or more prior DUI convictions within ten years, and have at least one prior felony DUI conviction.
At the prosecutor’s discretion, the offender might face a misdemeanor charge for the first two, instead of a felony. This offense’s standard punishment is imprisonment, fines, driver’s license suspension, and alcohol reeducation program.
Disclaimer: The Safety Watch article you just read includes information obtained from numerous sources. These sources include, but are not limited to, websites and press releases from law enforcement, the county coroner, fire departments, and other news outlets. While we strive to provide readers with the most accurate information, sometimes the information received is not entirely accurate. For complete details, please refer to an official police report.
The articles published contain sensitive subject matter that may be hard to read by some. We understand that losing a loved one is hard and devastating. Safety Watch’s decision to share the stories is to help others who may be facing the same situations by providing appropriate resources to the general public.