Hollister
– The Hollister woman accused of drunken driving in a Monday
accident that killed her 4-year-old daughter and injured seven
other people was driving while her license was suspended for a
previous DUI.
Hollister – The Hollister woman accused of drunken driving in a Monday accident that killed her 4-year-old daughter and injured seven other people was driving while her license was suspended for a previous DUI.
Antoinette Vanessa Soliz, 25, was wanted on a warrant from a previous driving under the influence arrest in Santa Clara, California Highway Patrol Officer Jason Smith said Tuesday.
The Santa Cruz County Coroner’s Office also the identified the girl killed in the accident as Jasmine Arroyo of Hollister. She died Monday morning at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, where she had been flown after the crash.
Soliz was driving a 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe, crowded with two other adults and seven children, when she lost control of the vehicle at 1:20am Monday, according to the CHP. The vehicle crashed into the center guardrail 10 miles south of Santa Cruz on Highway 1 and rolled numerous times, the CHP said.
Soliz’s 10-year-old son, who was ejected during the crash, was in critical condition Tuesday at Stanford Medical Center with severe lacerations to his liver, a fractured neck and fluid in his lungs, Smith said. Her 8-year-old son, who also ejected, was in serious condition at Stanford Medical Center with a lacerated liver and a fractured shoulder.
The CHP would not release the boy’s names or the identity of the others who were injured in the crash.
Two other people who were riding in Soliz’s vehicle also remained in critical condition Tuesday: A 23-year-old Gilroy woman, who was also flown to Stanford Medical Center, and the woman’s 2-year-old daughter, who suffered head injuries and was flown to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center.
The Gilroy woman was the mother of two other children who were involved in the crash. The woman’s 3-year-old daughter was in serious but stable condition at Stanford Medical Center on Tuesday. Her 1-year-old daughter was in a car seat when the crash occurred and was uninjured, the CHP said.
A 24-year-old Gilroy man, who was also ejected from the vehicle, was in serious but stable condition at Stanford Medical Center with unknown injuries, Smith said.
Soliz’s 15-year-old niece, who lives in Gilroy, was also injured in the crash, Smith said. The 15-year-old was taken to Watsonville Community Hospital with cuts and bruises, Smith said. She remains hospitalized.
Soliz’s vehicle was equipped with nine seat belts, Smith said, but authorities are still trying to determine who was or wasn’t using the restraints at the time of the crash.
“I don’t believe everybody in the vehicle was properly restrained,” he said.
The CHP had yet to determine where the occupants of the vehicle were headed, where they had been or if alcohol was being consumed in the vehicle, Smith said.
Soliz submitted to a blood test to determine her level of intoxication, Smith said. Results are expected within a few days, he said.
Soliz was arrested for gross vehicular manslaughter and eight counts of felony drunken driving, according to the CHP. The Santa Cruz District Attorney’s Office was working with the CHP on official charges Tuesday, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
She was present in San Benito County Superior Court on Tuesday morning for an appearance involving two misdemeanor domestic violence incidents and several infractions for not sending her children to school, according to court documents.
Soliz was released on $50,000 in bail from the Santa Cruz County Jail on Monday afternoon, according to jail personnel.
If convicted of gross vehicular manslaughter, Soliz could face up to 10 years in prison, according to the California Penal Code.
Michael Van Cassell covers public safety for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or [email protected].
