Abel Maldonado’s Wife Involved in Traffic Accident That Kills Man

Santa Maria Authorities Say Other Driver Failed to Stop at Stop Sign

Law enforcement officials examine a fatal two-vehicle accident at Dominion and Foxen Canyon roads east of Santa Maria involving a late model Honda and a Cadillac Escalade. Three people were involved, one was killed and the other two reportedly have minor to moderate injuries.

The wife of congressional candidate Abel Maldonado was involved in a fatal traffic collision Monday afternoon in Santa Maria. According to a report from authorities, Laura Maldonado, 45, was driving her Cadillac Escalade on on Foxen Canyon Road when a Honda Accord, driven by a 30-year-old man, failed to stop at a stop sign and hit her. The man suffered fatal injuries. His name has not been made public.

Laura Maldonado and her son were taken to the hospital, but were released Monday evening. “Our deepest condolences and sympathies are with the family of the victim,” Abel Maldonado said in a statement Monday night. “There are no words that can lift the burden of grief and sorrow his family and friends are experiencing right now.”

According to a CHP report, the male driver was driving northbound on Dominion Road, which ends at Foxen Canyon Road, at around 4:10 p.m. Authorities say he did not stop his car at a stop sign, instead cruising through the intersection and “directly into the path” of Laura Maldonado’s vehicle, which was traveling at approximately 55 miles per hour. The front of her car plowed into the left side of his, and both ended up in an irrigation canal along Foxen Canyon Road.