USC Student Killed in Hit-and-Run Was Drunk: Autopsy

Adrianna Bachan had blood-alcohol level of .17

The USC student who was struck and killed in a hit-and-run crash was drunk at the time of the collision, according to an autopsy report.

Adrianna Bachan had a blood-alcohol level of .17, according to the report. Bachan was 18 years old at the time of the crash.

The autopsy report was first obtained by Neon Tommy -- a USC student-run news website.

Supervising criminalist Dan Anderson told Neon Tommy that Bachan was "double drunk."

"Not much to it other than that -- .08 is the legal limit," he told the online publication.

The driver, 30-year-old Claudia Cabrera, was charged with felony hit-and-run and misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter in connection with the crash that killed Bachan and injured 19-year-old Marcus Garfinkle. The passenger -- Cabrera's husband, 33-year-old Josue Luna -- was charged with felony hit-and-run. Witnesses say Luna pulled Garfinkle's body from the hood of the car before fleeing.

Cabrera and Luna have both pleaded not guilty.

Police say Cabrera ran a red light before hitting the students on March 29 as they crossed Jefferson Boulevard at Hoover Street. Cabrera said the light was green when she entered the intersection, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Bachan's mother, Carmen Bachan, told the USC publication that the defense will utilize her daughter's blood-alcohol level during the trial.

"They're pigs. I expect them to use it," Bachan told Neon Tommy.

"It happens. Kids do stupid things like that. It has nothing to do with what happened," she said.

Garfinkle, who is still recovering with two broken legs, said Bachan did not appear drunk.

"I'm a pretty good drinker," Garfinkle told Neon Tommy. "So I know I was not very drunk at all. ... (Bachan) was not anywhere near inebriated. We had a full conversation."

"If she was dead sober, we would still have gotten into that accident. If she was blackout, we would still have gotten into that accident. If the light was purple, we would still have gotten into the accident," Garfinkle told Neon Tommy.

Cabrera's attorney Aresh Hashemi told Neon Tommy he hasn't decided whether or not to use the toxicology report during the trial.

Even so, attorney Mark J. Werksman told L.A. Weekly that the autopsy may not help the defense's case.

"The intoxication of the pedestrian normally wouldn't have anything to do with the defense in a case like this, unless the defense is going to claim that the accident was caused by the behavior of the pedestrian ... Certainly, the intoxication of the victim would have zero bearing on a hit and run charge. How could it?" Werksman said in an e-mail to L.A. Weekly.

A trial date has been set for Nov. 4.

Contact Us