Early this morning, a single-car accident on westbound SR-4 near Morello Avenue killed a 5-year-old child and seriously hurt another passenger.
The accident happened around 12:06 am, and the California Highway Patrol Contra Costa responded right away.
CHP preliminary investigations show that an adult driver and two children were in a gray Honda CR-V going west on SR-4 when the driver lost control of the car. The drivers and passengers in the Honda were seriously hurt when it went off the road and hit a tree.
The driver was taken to the hospital right away for medical care after getting mild injuries. The 5-year-old child was seriously hurt and declared dead at the scene, according to the California Highway Patrol.
A guest who was 11 years old also got serious injuries that could have killed them and was rushed to the hospital for emergency care.
During the investigation at the scene, CHP officers found that the 5-year-old was not properly buckled into a child seat. This raised safety issues, according to the CHP.
Soon after, more tragedy happened when police officers showed up at the hospital to do a DUI probe.
Police arrested the driver, who was already hurt, on suspicion of driving while impaired and murder.
As the crash’s details are being looked into, CHP Contra Costa is asking for help from the public.
Anyone who saw what happened or knows anything about what happened before it should call (925) 646-4980 and talk to CHP Contra Costa in Martinez. People can also email their contact information to [email protected] so that the investigating officer can get in touch with them.