Authorities in Shasta County, California, are investigating an accident March 22 that involved a van that overturned on Interstate 5, killing one man and injuring 16 others.
The van’s driver, Jose Sanchez Del Valle, 41, of Tijuana, was arrested three hours later after he fled the scene of the accident, according to the California Highway Patrol (CHP).
Authorities say the 17 passengers were not wearing seatbelts and received injuries ranging from minor to fatal.
Mr. Del Valle was traveling northbound on I-5 at about 5:20 a.m. Friday when he made an unsafe right turn, according to the CHP. The turn caused the 2022 Volkswagen Crafter he was driving to leave the road.
The van’s front and right side collided with several trees before the van came to a rest on an embankment, the CHP said in a report provided to California Insider.
Mr. Del Valle was not wearing a seatbelt and was injured as a result of the collision, authorities reported.
A 37-year-old man from Saucillo, Chihuahua, in Northern Mexico, was killed during the accident, according to police. The Shasta County Coroner’s Office had not released the name of the victim before press time.
The accident is under investigation by the CHP. The weather was cloudy at the time of the incident.
“Drug or alcohol does not appear to be a factor in the collision,” CHP Officer D. Simmons said in the report.
