Coroner’s Report Clarifies Circumstances of 101 Death

A report from the Santa Barbara County Coroner has shed more light on the vehicular accident that killed 25-year-old Canoga Park resident Carly Nichole Shelton on Tuesday, June 19, on Highway 101 near Refugio Beach. According to a statement from California Highway Patrol spokesperson Donald Clotworthy, Shelton had a blood alcohol level of .14 percent – nearly twice the legal limit. She also tested positive for being under the influence of marijuana.

Furthermore, the CHP statement disproved some theories that Shelton had still been alive after she was thrown from her car and that a subsequent passing vehicle killed her when it ran over her. The coroner’s report revealed that Shelton had died instantly upon striking the roadway. Officially, Clotworthy said, Shelton cause of death has been attributed to driving under the influence and not wearing a seatbelt.

Another woman who was a passenger in Shelton’s car was wearing a seatbelt and was not seriously injured.