AMADOR COUNTY, Calif. — A deadly car crash in Amador County has led to the deaths of three individuals and the arrest of a suspected DUI driver, California Highway Patrol said in a press release.
The crash happened around 8 p.m. Sunday, June 13, east of Sunnybrook, Calif. The collision sadly claimed the lives of two people in one car, a 73-year-old man from Stockton and an unidentified woman. A passenger in the car of the suspected DUI driver was also killed.
CHP says that on the night of the crash, a patrol officer attempted to stop a 2015 Infiniti traveling down Highway 88 east of Eggiman Lane at a "high rate of speed." The driver of the car accelerated away when he saw the patrol lights, and then tried to pass traffic going in the opposite direction, crossing the double yellow lines.
The Infiniti crashed head on into a 2021 Acura, in which both the driver and a passenger were killed. A third and fourth vehicle also crashed into the wreckage, with the driver from one of those cars reporting minor injuries and the other reporting no injuries. Those two cars also had minor damages.
According to CHP, the patrol officer was able to pull the accused DUI driver Jason Anthony Newell, 41, from his car before it was completely engulfed in fire. Newell has been arrested, and CHP reports he is being treated for major injuries at a local hospital.
Hwy. 88 was closed in both directions for about eight hours on Sunday as CHP investigated the crash and crews cleared the scene. There are no other details available at this time.
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