Marysville man arrested after passenger dies in Highway 70 crash

A Marysville man has been arrested after the vehicle he was driving on Highway 70 in Yuba County ran off the roadway and overturned, killing his passenger.

William Eugene Woolery, 33, was driving a 2003 Acura southbound on Highway 70, approaching Erle Road in the Linda area, about 12:35 a.m. Friday, when he allowed the vehicle to drift into the center divider, according to a California Highway Patrol news release.

Woolery overcorrected, causing the vehicle to travel back across all lanes of southbound Highway 70. The vehicle left the roadway, flipped through the large road shoulder, then through a chain-link fence that separated the freeway from Chestnut Avenue, the CHP reported. The vehicle came to rest on its roof on Chestnut Avenue.

The passenger, a 28-year-old man from Olivehurst, was not wearing a seat belt and was partially ejected from the vehicle, according to the news release. He was pronounced dead at the scene. His name has not been released pending notification of family.

Woolery suffered minor injuries and was treated at Rideout Memorial Hospital in Marysville, then booked into Yuba County Jail on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and gross vehicular manslaughter. The CHP said additional charges could be added once toxicology results are available.

This story was originally published February 24, 2017 at 5:00 PM with the headline "Marysville man arrested after passenger dies in Highway 70 crash."