Driver in fatal Yolo County crash was on drugs, lab results show

Toxicology results for the wrong-way driver suspected of causing a collision that killed four people last month on Interstate 505 in Yolo County indicate that he was under the influence of methamphetamine and alcohol, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The Yolo County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office reports that Francisco Salazar Garcia of Antioch had a blood-alcohol level of 0.26 percent, more than three times the legal limit of 0.08 percent.

The CHP provided these details:

About 10:21 p.m. May 2, Officer Joel Merrill was northbound in the slow lane on I-505, north of Highway 16 in Yolo County, when he observed a vehicle traveling the wrong way in the fast lane.

Merrill made a U-turn in the center divider, notified CHP dispatch of the wrong-way driver and tried to overtake the driver traveling in excess of 85 mph. Merrill saw the wrong-way vehicle collide with another vehicle traveling northbound in the No. 1 lane.

Sofia Ramirez, 38, of Arbuckle and daughters Alyssa Santiago, 17, and Brenda Santiago, 15 – along with Garcia – were killed in the crash.

This story was originally published June 11, 2015 at 7:52 PM.