Fremont Mother Arrested In Crash That Killed 4-Year-Old Daughter
FREMONT (CBS SF) -- A Fremont woman suspected of driving drunk in a crash earlier this month that fatally injured her 4-year-old daughter was arrested Tuesday on vehicular manslaughter charges, police said.
Police arrested 33-year-old Fremont resident Patricia Serratos at her home on Tuesday in connection with the March 8 death of her daughter due to injuries sustained in a March 3 crash.
She is suspected of being under the influence of alcohol while driving her vehicle the night of the fatal crash, and of buckling her daughter into a child safety seat but failing to secure it to the vehicle seat, police said.
The crash occurred around 12:15 a.m. on Mar. 3, when Serratos was driving a tan 2002 Honda Civic south on Osgood Road between Blacow Road and Auto Mall Parkway, Fremont police Sgt. Tony Tassano said.
Serratos' vehicle veered into northbound lanes and slammed head on into a silver Camry driven by a 31-year-old Fremont man, Tassano said.
Officers said they could smell alcohol on the woman at the scene, according to Tassano.
A witness also told police Serratos was driving about 50 to 60 mph prior to the crash, police said.
Serratos and her daughter were listed in critical condition after the crash, according to Tassano.
Serratos' condition improved and she was released from the hospital, but on Mar. 8, her daughter succumbed to injuries suffered during the collision.
The driver of the Camry sustained minor injuries to his legs and was transported to a hospital, where he was soon released. The man told officers that he had been drinking alcohol before he drove, Tassano said.
Investigators are considering whether both drivers might have been under the influence of alcohol at the time of the collision. Toxicology reports indicating the exact level of alcoholic content of both drivers' blood is still pending, according to Fremont police.
Fremont police served a warrant for Serratos arrest Tuesday and booked her into Santa Rita Jail on charges of felony vehicular manslaughter and felony child endangerment.
Additional charges could be filed pending the results of the toxicology reports, police said.
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