Drugs, alcohol linked to Oct. fatal crash

Drugs and alcohol likely played a key role in the Oct. 8 fatal traffic accident that killed a Hanford man, according to recent toxicology reports.

Investigators with the California Highway Patrol were initially unsure of what led 29-year-old Jose Salas to veer off the roadway on the Avenal Cutoff, before overcorrecting into oncoming traffic. At the time, CHP spokesman Jerry Pierce said "we may never know what caused this."

This week, a few more puzzle pieces fell into place.

Salas was killed instantly in the 5:38 p.m. crash from blunt-force trauma injuries sustained on impact. He was probably killed immediately upon contact with the other vehicles, said Deputy Coroner Tom Edmonds.

What's now known is that Salas was driving under the influence at the time.

Blood toxicology tests showed that his blood-alcohol level was .34 at the time of the crash, more than four times the legal limit of .08, Edmonds said. Significant quantities of methamphetamine and marijuana were also found in his system.

"It's hard to judge methamphetamine amounts in people, due to the tolerance most people build up over time," Edmonds said. "But, we still consider these levels to be pretty high."

Salas' pickup truck spun out as he tried to right himself, which flung the vehicle into oncoming traffic just south of Murphy Ranch Road. He collided with a 1995 Mazda and a Chevrolet pickup truck before coming to a halt.

Medical personnel pronounced him dead at the scene.

The CHP has listed the cause of the accident as "driving on the left side of a double-yellow line."

The reporter can be reached at 583-2425.

(Nov. 6. 2009)