Texting, drugs had role in deadly Yolo pick-up v. bus crash

6:09 PM, Jul 27, 2012   |    comments
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  • Head-on crash in Yolo County involving a truck and United Cerebral Palsy bus, July 11, 2012
  • Jeffrey Richard Rivas
    

YOLO COUNTY, CA - Distracted driving and driving under the influence contributed to a deadly head-on crash on County Road 102 earlier this month, says the California Highway Patrol.

PREVIOUS STORY: Victims identified in fatal Yolo County head-on crash

The July 11 crash resulted in the deaths of pickup truck driver Jeffrey Richard Rivas, 52, of Woodland; Sara Johnson, 35, of Davis; and Laura Sue Weiderholt, 48, of Woodland. The two women were passengers in a United Cerebral Palsy transport bus.

The bus driver, Luz Torres, 35, of Sacramento, and another bus passenger remain hospitalized with severe injuries, said CHP Officer Bryan Konvalin.

Five others in the bus were treated for various injuries and released.

Rivas' Ford F-250 pick-up was in the southbound lane of County Road 102 when it drifted into the northbound lane, hitting the UCP bus, said Konvalin. Toxicology tests  detected a lethal dose of methamphetamine in Rivas' system, said Konvalin.

CHP investigators also determined Rivas was texting just before the crash.

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