CHP Finds Possible Evidence Of Marijuana Use At Hwy 1 Fatal Collision Scene

Marijuana may have played a role in a head-on collision that killed a 24-year-old Prunedale man this afternoon on state Highway 1 near Castroville.

The two-vehicle collision was first reported at 12:12 p.m. on southbound Highway 1 just north of Molera Road in unincorporated Monterey County, according to the California Highway Patrol.

A silver Mazda was traveling in the northbound lane of the highway while a black Lexus SUV was traveling in the southbound lane, according to CHP Officer Oscar Loza.

The driver of the Lexus admitted to officers that she was speeding. As she threw a cigarette out of the vehicle's window, her vehicle then veered into the northbound lane and struck the Mazda, according to Loza.

The driver of the Mazda, the car's only occupant, was pronounced dead at the scene, Loza said.

Seven people were inside the Lexus and all but one admitted to smoking marijuana as they traveled on the highway. Additionally, the driver admitted to taking prescription pills just minutes before the collision, according to Loza.

Officers found evidence of marijuana use inside the vehicle and a witness reported finding a makeup bag with what appeared to be marijuana inside, hidden in a field near the collision, Loza said.

The driver was taken to the hospital for a lacerated liver. Two other occupants were flown to Valley Medical Center in San Jose, although no information was given about their condition.

Both directions of the highway were closed earlier this afternoon for nearly four hours as CHP officers investigated the collision.

Previous:

• Speeding, Cigarette Tossed Out Window Leads To Fatal Hwy 1 Crash: CHP
• One Dead In Hwy 1 Crash Near Castroville

--Bay City News/Shutterstock image