SAN GABRIEL — A young woman is accused of being drunk when she crashed into a parked tour bus, killing one of her passengers, police said Sunday
Samuel Bendimez, 23, of Long Beach, died at the scene of the Friday’s 6:57 a.m. crash on Valley Boulevard, just east of San Gabriel Boulevard, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner’s Lt. Cheryl MacWillie said.
The name of the driver, a woman in her early 20s, was not available Sunday as she remained hospitalized with serious injuries, San Gabriel police Lt. Ariel Duran said.
“She was cited for vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence,” the lieutenant said. Because of her medical condition, she had not been booked into police custody.
Another young woman who was also a passenger in the Ford F-150 pickup truck remained hospitalized in stable condition Sunday, officials said.
The pickup truck crashed into a casino-bound tour bus that was pulled to the side of the road to load passengers, police said.
“(The driver) rear-ended the tour bus at a high rate of speed,” Duran said. The exact speed remained under investigation, however it was believed to be “above speed limit.”
The two passengers in the pickup truck were both sleeping in the rear seat without seat belts, he added.
The three people inside the pickup truck were described by police as friends.
“Apparently, they’d been drinking all night,” Duran said. “They went through several cities drinking.”
About 25 people were on board the bus, Duran said. Several were treated for minor injuries.
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