Both Drivers in Wrong-Way Accident Were Drunk, CHP Says

Both drivers involved in a head-on collision Sunday morning on Highway 101 — during which one of the motorists was traveling southbound in northbound lanes — were under the influence of alcohol, the CHP reports.

According to a press release issued Monday afternoon, CHP dispatchers began receiving calls of a wrong-way driver near Turnpike Road at around 2:20 a.m. Minutes later officers arrived at the scene of the wreck. They determined a 2011 Nissan Altima driven by 25-year-old Diana Villalobos was heading the wrong way down the highway at an unknown speed when it collided with a 1994 Lexus ES300 driven by 25-year-old Anna Fragosa.

Villalobos sustained a broken right ankle, fractured kneecaps, and multiple abrasions, the CHP report states. Fragosa sustained undisclosed injuries that were classified as non-life threatening. Both were transported to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital and have since been released. Northbound 101 lanes were closed for approximately 50 minutes while crews worked to clear the scene.

“While at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital,” the report states, “officers noted an overwhelming odor of alcohol coming from both involved parties. Preliminary investigation revealed both drivers were under the influence of alcohol.” Villalobos was arrested for felony DUI, and Fragosa was arrested for misdemeanor DUI.