Coroner identifies woman killed in fiery crash with DUI suspect on Sacramento freeway
Authorities released the name of a woman who died when she was trapped inside a burning vehicle after being struck by a suspected drunk driver on a Sacramento freeway.
The Sacramento County Coroner’s Office identified the victim Sunday as Thelma Soto Barrios, a 30-year-old Rancho Cordova resident. Barrios died in a fiery crash that occurred about 2:25 a.m. May 31 on northbound Highway 99 near 12th Avenue.
According to the California Highway Patrol, Barrios was a passenger in a Kia Niro that was traveling north on the highway. Edgar Mayorga of Sacramento was approaching from behind, traveling at a high rate of speed in a Toyota Tundra, officers said.
The Tundra struck the Kia from behind while moving from the No. 3 lane to the No. 2 lane, causing the Kia to catch fire, the CHP said. The Kia became fully engulfed in flames after coming to rest on the shoulder.
The driver of the Kia escaped the fiery wreckage and was transported to UC Davis Medical Center with severe burn injuries, officers said. Barrios was unable to exit the vehicle and died at the scene, authorities said.
The CHP said Mayorga was not injured in the crash, but he was placed under arrest after officers determined he was driving under the influence of alcohol. Mayorga was arrested on suspicion of DUI and gross vehicular manslaughter, authorities said.
Julie Nichols, a friend and neighbor of Barrios, described her as “a happy, loving person.”
“She almost always had a smile on her face,” Nichols said in a Facebook post. “Loved her gentle giant pup, her boyfriend (the driver) and her family. She was not only a neighbor but also a great friend.”
