DUI Suspected in Freeway Crash
A car driven by a Santa Barbara woman who police say was under the influence of alcohol careened off U.S. 101 near the Rincon, seriously injuring one of the passengers.
The accident, which totaled the late-model Volvo driven by 28-year-old Charlotte Johnson also caused a rush-hour backup about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday as emergency crews treated Johnson and her two passengers, said California Highway Patrol Officer Dave Cockrill.
Johnson was southbound in the fast lane when her car drifted onto the gravel center divider and she lost control of the vehicle. The car fishtailed in the gravel and then careened back onto the road and across two lanes of traffic before slamming into a concrete wall on the ocean side of the freeway.
One of the passengers, 27-year-old Vicky Tack of Goleta, suffered a fractured shoulder and was in serious condition at St. Francis Hospital in Santa Barbara. Another passenger, who was not identified, suffered minor injuries.
Johnson was charged with driving under the influence, Cockrill said.
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