Driver Accused of Drunken, Deadly Head-On Peninsula Crash Appears in Court

REDWOOD CITY, CA- A man who allegedly killed another driver in a head-on crash near La Honda last month and ran into the woods to escape pleaded not guilty to vehicular manslaughter and hit-and-run charges Tuesday afternoon, prosecutors said.

El Granada resident Tom Doane, 46, was driving his 2001 Ford F-250 pickup truck west on La Honda Road when he crossed the road's double yellow line near Sylvan Way just before 7 p.m. on March 27, according to San Mateo County prosecutors and the California Highway Patrol.

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The truck, going an estimated 30 to 40 mph, crashed head-on into a 1992 Honda driven by Francois Jouaux, a 46-year-old married father.

The truck rolled over the Honda, killing Jouaux.

A witness saw Doane climb out of the overturned Ford bleeding from a mangled left hand and arm, saying, "I need to die ... I really just need to die," prosecutors said.

He fled into the woods. CHP officers responded and searched the surrounding area with a dog but were unable to find him.

When he arrived at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Redwood City to get his arm treated, he said he had been in a motorcycle accident, but the hospital notified police.

Doane remained in the hospital until Monday night when he was booked into jail on $1 million bail, District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said.

He pleaded not guilty at an arraignment this afternoon to vehicular manslaughter and hit-and-run charges, prosecutors said.

-By Bay City News Service; Image via Shutterstock