DUI Crash Leaves Goleta Woman With Head Injuries

SB Independent
By Chris Meagher
May 23, 2007

A collision involving a driver allegedly driving under the influence of drugs left a passenger in another vehicle with a fractured skull and facial fractures and cuts. The collision happened at 11:50 p.m. Tuesday when a 1998 Chevrolet van traveling northbound on Los Carneros Road north of El Colegio in Goleta crossed over the double yellow line and hit head-on a 2004 Toyota Corolla. According to witness reports, the van was traveling “all over the road” leading up to the crash.

The driver of the Corolla — Albert Hwang, 21, of Goleta — along with another passenger, was uninjured, while 21-year-old Candy Yang of Goleta was the one seriously injured. The driver of the van, 20-year-old Dane Brian Johnston, had a cut on his nose and complained of chest pain. At Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, CHP investigators determined that Johnston was under the influence of drugs and arrested him, according to CHP Officer Donald Clotworthy. Yang was admitted to the hospital, but her injuries are not considered life-threatening.

The collision is still under investigation.