Driver suspected of DUI after major injury crash on Highway 99, CHP says

A Livingston man has been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence following a solo-vehicle crash that sent both he and his passenger to the hospital, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Authorities said officers responded to the collision on southbound Highway 99 north of Shanks Road in Merced County on Friday, just after 10 p.m.

According to the CHP, investigating officers determined Leonardo Flores of Livingston, was driving a 2012 Ford Fusion southbound on Highway 99 just north of Shanks Road at an unknown rate of speed.

For unknown reasons, Flores allowed the vehicle to drift to the right and leave the roadway before colliding with a tree located on the shoulder of the road, the CHP said.

According to Officer Eric Zuniga, a right front passenger in the vehicle identified as Francisca Villa suffered major injuries in the collision and was transported to a Modesto hospital. Authorities did not release her age. Flores was arrested for driving under the influence of an alcoholic beverage and transported to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries, the CHP said.

Flores, 28, was later booked into Merced County Jail on suspicion of felony driving under the influence, according to Zuniga.

Authorities said it appears that neither occupant was wearing a seat belt at the time of the collision.