Drunk driver kills musician, injures 2
April 20, 2009
Pala, California - A man believed to be driving under the influence of an alcoholic substance got involved in a frontal collision with another vehicle along State Route 76, Sunday night.
The 23-year old driver, identified as Silvero Morales Romero, was spotted speeding by the California Highway Patrol at the Interstate 15 and was pulled over near the Rainbow Valley Boulevard.
Romero, who was driving a 2001 Ford Explorer, stopped for a moment but when CHP officer Eric Newbury asked for identification, Romero gunned his engine and sped off; weaving in and out of traffic at speeds of more than 100 mph and running through a red light at the intersection of State Route 76 and Old Highway 395.
The pursuing officer lost sight of the vehicle but still followed pursuit with lights and sirens off.
The driver then crossed a double yellow line and crashed into an oncoming 1999 Toyota pickup driven by Douglas Tarry of Moreno Valley. The Ford truck then flipped over and hit another truck driven by a 50-year old man from Barstow.
The truck continued to roll down as it hit an embankment until it stopped near a ditch.
The crash amputated Romero’s leg who still tried to run away from authorities by hopping some 50 feet before falling to the ground.
Douglas Tarry, identified as a guitar player for local band Agrypnia and a graduating student of Sound Engineering for a Los Angeles college, was rushed to a nearby hospital but was declared dead on arrival.
The occupants of the 2004 Ford F-350 only suffered minor injuries.
CHP Officer Newbury said that Romero was also taken to a hospital and will be facing several felony counts including vehicular manslaughter, hit-and-run, DUI and evading arrest.
Officials had to close State Route 76 for several hours to clean-up the area of the accident.
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