GILROY
–– A Hollister man was in fair condition in a San Jose hospital
late Tuesday morning after being ejected from his car in a solo
crash Monday evening between Gilroy and Hollister in San Benito
County.
Juan Carlos Romero, 23, was drunk behind the wheel, according to
the California Highway Patrol, and it wasn’t the first time. In
addition to a driving-under-the-influence charge for Monday’s
incident, Romero was found to have a warrant out on him for not
paying the consequences of a prior DUI charge in 2002 in Santa
Clara County.
GILROY –– A Hollister man was in fair condition in a San Jose hospital late Tuesday morning after being ejected from his car in a solo crash Monday evening between Gilroy and Hollister in San Benito County.
Juan Carlos Romero, 23, was drunk behind the wheel, according to the California Highway Patrol, and it wasn’t the first time. In addition to a driving-under-the-influence charge for Monday’s incident, Romero was found to have a warrant out on him for not paying the consequences of a prior DUI charge in 2002 in Santa Clara County.
There is no bail allowed on the warrant, so Romero will be taken to jail in San Jose as soon as his treatment is complete at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. A Santa Clara County court arraignment will be scheduled after he is released from the hospital.
After dealing with the warrant in Santa Clara County, Romero will answer to the new DUI charge in San Benito County court.
Romero was no longer in the hospital’s intensive-care unit Tuesday and his vital signs were stable within normal limits, a hospital spokesperson said.
CHP officers and paramedics found Romero at about 7:30 p.m. Monday on Frazier Lake Road, north of Shore Road, where the wreck took place. Romero had been driving southbound, toward Hollister, when he drove his 1985 Ford Escort off the road to the right – due to intoxication, CHP reported. The car struck a wire fence and rolled onto its side, ejecting Romero, the only occupant.
Romero had cuts to his forehead and left forearm, according to CHP, and he complained of pain in his neck, back and legs. He was flown by CalSTAR helicopter to the hospital.
Results of a blood test for Romero’s blood-alcohol content are not expected for several days.
