Woman Faces 2 Counts Vehicular Manslaughter In Livermore Crash

LIVERMORE, CA — A Tracy woman who surrendered at the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin Wednesday afternoon faces two counts of vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated for a collision on Altamont Pass Road in unincorporated Alameda County in October that killed a Pleasanton man and woman, the California Highway Patrol said.

CHP investigators said 36-year-old Courtney Lynne Peterson was intoxicated while driving a 2016 Ford F-250 on Altamont Pass Road east of Dyer Road near Livermore at about 4:50 p.m. on Oct. 14 when she veered into oncoming traffic and struck motorcyclist Mark Nida, 63, and his 64-year-old passenger Kathleen Seifert. The motorcycle landed in a ditch, and the pickup truck down a ravine off the roadway.

Nida and Seifert, both Pleasanton residents, were taken to Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley. Nida was pronounced dead soon after arriving and Seifert succumbed to her injuries later that night, according to the CHP.

Following the deadly collision, Peterson was arrested and released while Dublin CHP investigators completed their investigation. On March 7, prosecutors with the Alameda County District Attorney's Office charged Petersen with two counts of vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.

On Wednesday, the CHP obtained an arrest warrant for Peterson from the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office. She surrendered at the jail at 2:20 p.m., according to the CHP.

“This collision was a preventable tragedy,” Capt. Christopher Sherry, the commander of the CHP's Dublin area office, said. “Two innocent lives were lost because someone chose to drive under the influence of alcohol. I am pleased that the suspect in this crime has been arrested. Nothing can bring back the lost lives, but I hope this arrest brings some comfort to the victim’s family and friends. More than one-third of all traffic-related deaths in California involve alcohol. As a community, we will not tolerate it.”

Petersen, who was booked into jail under the name Courtney Lynne Andrade, will be in court in Dublin for her arraignment on March 22, according to jail records.