DUI Suspected In Fatal Wrong-Way Mission Viejo Crash

MISSION VIEJO, CA —A 26-year-old woman is suspected of driving under the influence when she allegedly drove the wrong way down a busy Mission Viejo street, slamming into another car and killing the driver, the Orange County Sheriff's Department announced Thursday.

The fatal crash happened in the early morning hours of New Year's Day. At about 1:40 a.m., police were called to the scene of a crash at the intersection of Marguerite Parkway and Pueblonuevo Drive, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

"Deputies arrived and discovered a Chevrolet Malibu and a Toyota Camry had been involved in a head-on collision" the sheriff's department announced in a written statement. "Based on the preliminary investigation, it appears the Chevrolet Malibu was driving the wrong way in southbound lanes of Marguerite Parkway and collided with the Toyota Camry head-on.

"The adult female driver of the Camry was transported by paramedics to a local area hospital where she was pronounced deceased."

According to police, the driver and a passenger of the Chevrolet Malibu were also transported to a local area hospital to be treated for injuries related to the collision. The Malibu's driver Geraldine Caicedo-Perez was arrested on suspicion of DUI and manslaughter.

The identity of the victim, a woman in her 60s, is being withheld pending the notification of her family.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s Major Accident Investigation Team is
investigating the collision and urges anyone with information about the crash to call the Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s Traffic Bureau at 949-425-1860.