An alcohol-related accident on Hospital Road Wednesday sent a
Hollister man to jail for felony driving under the influence and
put three Hollister juveniles in the hospital with moderate to
major injuries, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Hollister – An alcohol-related accident on Hospital Road Wednesday sent a Hollister man to jail for felony driving under the influence and put three Hollister juveniles in the hospital with moderate to major injuries, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Suspect Joel Robert Shrank, 27, was uninjured when his 1982 Chevy Silverado collided with a 1987 Toyota Corolla driven by a 17-year-old Hollister female around 5pm on Hospital Road near Cowden Road, according to investigating officer David Agredano.
The teen suffered major injuries and was flown by Calstar to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, while her two passengers, a 15-year-old Hollister female and a 7-year-old Hollister boy, both suffered moderate head injuries and were taken by ambulance to Hazel Hawkins Hospital, Agredano stated in a written statement.
Shrank, who was driving westbound on a dirt driveway east of Hospital Road, veered off the driveway and drove up a dirt embankment toward Hospital Road, according to Agredano. As he merged onto Hospital Road, he didn’t yield to oncoming traffic and drove directly into the path of the Toyota, Agredano stated.
The front end of the Toyota struck the truck’s left front end, and because none of the occupants of the Toyota were wearing seat belts, all suffered injuries, according to Agredano.
Shrank was booked into the county jail in lieu of $50,000 bail Wednesday evening, but bailed out later that night, according to jail personnel.
If convicted, Shrank could face as much as one year in the county jail or a longer sentence in a state prison, according to California law.
