A predawn DUI car crash in Coronado claimed the life of a 25-year-old woman on Friday. The driver and another passenger were taken to the hospital after their car crashed into a lamppost, according to Coronado police.
Coronado police said three people were involved a fatal single car crash along Orange Avenue near 10th street. A 20-year-old male driver and a 20-year-old female front passenger were taken to the hospital. A 25-year old female passenger sitting in the back seat did not survive the wreck.
"[The car] was traveling southbound on the 1100 block of Orange and we believe speed and alcohol was a factor in this collision," said Lt. Mark Harris of the Coronado Police department.
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The driver was arrested later Friday for DUI and gross vehicular manslaughter, said Officer Lea Corbin from the Coronado Police Department.
Several witnesses told NBC 7 they heard the loud crash.
"It was about 12:30 and I just heard a long, long screech and then an impact sound and I was several blocks away it was really really loud," said Coronado resident Mike Gaylord. "At first I thought somebody had locked it up and skidded for a long time but it was very, very loud and obviously going fast."
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Coronado police said it appears the driver was not able to make the turn along Park Place and Orange Avenue and instead slammed into the lamppost, causing the car to spin out.
The block was closed off for about 12 hours as city crews cleaned up extensive debris leftover.
In 2017, a 22-year-old DUI driver slammed into a light pole, then a fountain, taking out a nearby flower shop in Coronado. In that instance, both the driver and passenger survived.
