Driver in fatal I-5 crash faces manslaughter, DUI charges

A Rancho Cordova man was arrested early Monday on charges of manslaughter and DUI after a fatal collision on Interstate 5 near Los Banos.

The crash occurred about 12:35 a.m. on southbound I-5 north of Henry Miller Road. A 2017 Toyota was stopped in the No. 1 lane, facing north after having just been in a damage-only crash into the guard rail.

Johnny Lee, 50, of Rancho Cordova was driving a 2014 Lincoln south in the same lane at undetermined speed, according to the California Highway Patrol. Due to his level of intoxication and speed unsafe for the conditions in front of him, Lee was unable to avoid hitting the front end of the Toyota.

The passenger in the Toyota, a 45-year-old Berkeley woman whose name has been withheld pending notification of family, was killed. The CHP report says she was not wearing a safety belt.

The driver of the Toyota, 44-year-old Qingjian Hu of Berkeley, suffered minor injuries — bruising and cuts to his head, the CHP reports.

Lee's Lincoln continued southwest onto the dirt shoulder of I-5. He suffered major injuries and was taken to Doctors Medical Center in Modesto.

This story was originally published November 20, 2017 at 9:24 AM with the headline "Driver in fatal I-5 crash faces manslaughter, DUI charges."