Alleged Drunk Driver Kills Three People and Injures Eight Others in Placentia Crash
PLACENTIA (January 26, 2023) – A 10-year-old Orange County girl and two adults, including the girl’s 36-year-old stepfather, were killed in a car accident on Wednesday night when a man, suspected of driving under the influence, crashed into the white church van that was returning them home from a bible study.
According to NBC Los Angeles, Placentia Police Department officials arrested a 24-year-old Santa Ana man at the scene on suspicion of Felony DUI. They say he ran a red light at the intersection of Orangethorpe Avenue and South Melrose Street at approximately 8:45 p.m., crashing his black Honda Civic into the church van, killing the little girl and two others.
In addition to the three accident victims killed in the crash, eight others were hospitalized with injuries, including the little girl’s brother and their mom, who is seven months pregnant with a baby girl.
Fatal Crash in Placentia Involved Alleged Driver Under the Influence
In California, DUI-related car crashes are, unfortunately, quite common. California law (CVC 23152) states that it is illegal to operate a motor vehicle under the influence of drugs, alcohol, or a combination of both. Depending on the circumstances, anyone convicted of a DUI may face severe criminal penalties, including fines, loss of driving privileges, and even jail time. If found guilty and convicted of vehicular manslaughter, the driver could face more than ten years in prison.
Although two of the victims were pronounced dead at the scene, including a 65-year-old woman and the 36-year-old stepfather, according to reporting from CBS Los Angeles, the little girl succumbed to her injuries and died while en route to the hospital.
The van’s operator is believed to have been a pastor who was driving parishioners home from the Mission of Faith Church on Walnut Ave., about a mile from the scene of the fatal car accident.
CBS also reported that as many as six vehicles might have been involved and that several accident victims had been ejected from the church van.
