Passenger ‘squished,’ killed by SUV in Fair Oaks DUI crash. Driver arrested, CHP says
California Highway Patrol officers arrested a driver Monday night accused in a DUI rollover crash in Fair Oaks that ejected the front passenger, resulting in her being fatally crushed beneath the vehicle.
A Chevrolet Tahoe with four occupants was traveling eastbound on Sunset Avenue near Pennsylvania Avenue at an unknown speed shortly before 9 p.m. Monday, when it hit the guy-wire of a power pole along the side of the road and began to roll over, CHP North Sacramento spokesman Officer Greg Zumstein said. Guy-wires are the non-energized lines used to stabilize power poles, usually connecting to the ground or a sidewalk.
As the vehicle was overturning, the front-side passenger, an unidentified woman who was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected from the large SUV and ended up being crushed beneath the rolling vehicle, killing her, Zumstein said.
“She was squished by the Tahoe,” he said.
The driver fled the scene on foot but was located about 90 minutes later hiding in the front yard of a nearby residence, Zumstein said.
The woman, who was determined to be under the influence of drugs and alcohol, was arrested on suspicion of various felonies including manslaughter, driving under the influence and hit-and-run.
The CHP has identified the suspect as Debra Christie, 39, of Folsom, according to a news release.
The two passengers in the back seat of the vehicle were wearing seat belts and suffered minor injuries, Zumstein said. They were teenagers, according to the news release.
The victim will be identified by the Sacramento County coroner pending notification of family. She was a 56-year-old woman, according to the CHP news release.
The collision remains under investigation.
This story was originally published December 31, 2019 at 9:55 AM.
