Woman Charged With Manslaughter For 101 Crash That Killed 2

NEWBURY PARK, CA — A driver was charged with vehicular manslaughter for a crash that killed two people in Newbury Park Thursday.

Gina Garcia, 58, of Ventura, was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence of drugs while causing injury to another, California Highway Patrol announced Friday.

The three-vehicle crash took place Thursday at 12:10, according to the CHP. Garcia was driving on the northbound 101, north of Bochard Road, in the middle lane. She traveled into the fast lane, where her Kia Sorrento collided with a gray Chevrolet SUV. Both vehicles lost control. The Chevrolet was propelled into the center median and struck the center divide wall, then continued across all northbound lanes to the right shoulder. The Toyota driver was able to stop safely on the right shoulder.

Garcia's Kia spun out, and hit a black Toyota sedan in the slow lane. She continued across the right shoulder and into a dirt/brush area where she struck, overturned, and landed on her roof, according to the CHP's report. Garcia survived with major injuries, and was transported to nearby Los Robles Medical Center. The other two passengers, Brianne Hayes, 24, and Adrian Sapien, 25, sustained fatal injuries, the Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed Monday.

The slow lane of the northbound 101 was closed for about five hours Thursday as multiples teams from different agencies, including the CHP, Ventura County Fire Department, American Medical Response, and Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office responded.

As of Monday, Garcia is still recovering at the hospital, but will soon be brought to jail, Officer Ryan Ayers of CHP Moorpark told Patch.

Anyone with information on the collision is encouraged to call the CHP Moorpark office at 805-553-0800.