Alcohol reported to be factor in fatal crash
A Porterville resident has been charged with vehicular manslaughter after a 69-year-old female passenger in another vehicle died as a result of a traffic collision.
Rebecca Paige Inman, 27, of Porterville was charged with homicide, gross vehicular manslaughter, DUI of alcohol causing injury with a blood alcohol level above .08. The Tulare County District Attorney’s Office filed the chargers on Friday.
On Tuesday the 69-year-old female passenger died at a San Francisco area hospital due to injuries sustained in the crash.
Porterville Police reported on Wednesday it was found Inman had a blood alcohol level of .19, more than double the limit. Inman was released on Wednesday from CRMC in Fresno, was taken into custody and booked into the Tulare County Jail.
On January 10, at about 10:50 p.m., Officers with the Porterville Police Department responded to the intersection of Main Street and Gibbons Avenue regarding an injury traffic collision. Upon arrival Officers found Inman and her passenger were traveling westbound on Gibbons Avenue in a 2005 Chrysler Pacifica, approaching Main Street, when Inman failed to stop at the posted stop sign, striking a 2016 Mercedes sedan, which was traveling northbound on Main Street crossing Gibbons Avenue.
The driver and passenger in the Mercedes were pinned inside the vehicle and had to be extricated by Porterville Fire Personnel. The driver of the Mercedes, a 47 year old female, sustained minor injuries, while her passenger, a 69 year old female, died as a result of the crash. Inman sustained major injuries, while her 35 year old female passenger sustained moderate injuries.
The driver of the Mercedes was transported to a local hospital for treatment and later released.
Inman and her passenger were both transported to a local hospital where the passenger was listed in stable condition.
The incident is being investigated by the Porterville Police Department Traffic Unit and anyone with information regarding it should contact Corporal Calloway at 559-782-7400.