A man accused of being drunk when he crashed head-on into a car in Trinity County in January and killed four people was in court last week. The CHP says 40-year-old Jose Adelaido Jimenez Garcia had a blood alcohol level of .14 when his Grand Cherokee crossed over the center line on a curve on Highway 299 near Del Loma. He later claimed he was only going 45 MPH but the Jeep’s computer showed he was going 61. He also said it was other car that crossed over and caused the crash, but witnesses disputed that. The only survivor in the 2013 Chevy Impala was 21-year-old Juliana Jarvis, who was riding in the middle of the back seat. She witnessed her four friends die but remained conscious despite suffering broken bones including her back, both legs, an arm and ribs, as well as internal injuries. 21-year-old Ryan Wiley, 18-year-old Jake Henry and siblings Craig and Natalie Houston, 19 and 23 years old, all died. The 5 of them were driving from Redding to Hoopa to visit the grave of Craig and Natalie’s father. Garcia, the Jeep driver, reportedly admitted to the CHP that he had been drinking, and he has a history of DUI’s. He was also seriously injured and remained hospitalized for about 5 weeks. His charges include 4 counts of 2nd degree murder and 4 counts of gross vehicular manslaughter. He’ll be back in court November 4th.
– Steve Gibson