DUI Arrest Follows Sunday Accident on 154

A Newbury Park woman was arrested on Sunday for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol and causing a collision that resulted in major injuries to two of the occupants of her vehicle.

According to the California Highway Patrol, Adriana Ponces, 28, stopped the Ford Focus she was driving at a stop sign on Paradise Road at an intersection with Highway 154 just after 8 p.m., Sunday. As a Dodge Durango driving 55 to 60 miles per hour approached the intersection, Ponces began a left-hand turn directly in front of the SUV. The driver of the SUV attempted to brake, but was unable to avoid a collision. Both drivers, along with three occupants of the Ford Focus, were taken to Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital. Two passengers in Ponces’s car required surgery. One had a broken and badly cut ankle and a broken arm. Another sustained severe internal abdominal injuries.

Ponces, after being treated for injuries at the hospital, was arrested for alleged DUI and for driving a vehicle without a license, and booked into Santa Barbara County Jail.