Modesto man recovering from traumatic brain injury after alleged DUI crash near Hilmar
A young man from Modesto faces a potentially long road to recovery after he was seriously injured in an alleged DUI crash with his girlfriend earlier this month.
Stephen Austin Adams, a 20-year-old who goes by Austin, was riding as a passenger around 12:30 a.m. Dec. 5 as Anna Rivera drove on State Route 165 in Merced County, California Highway Patrol spokesman Officer Eric Zuniga said.
Weather conditions were less than ideal — it was foggy out, and the road was wet from rain. As Rivera approached a curve near Westside Boulevard south of Hilmar, she lost control of the vehicle and drove straight into a utility pole, which fell on top of the vehicle.
Both were injured in the crash, Zuniga said. Adams suffered broken ribs and a head injury and was taken to Doctors Medical Center. Rivera was taken to Memorial Medical Center for treatment of lacerations and cuts.
Police found Rivera had signs of intoxication and arrested her on a felony DUI charge, but she was released to the hospital for treatment.
Rivera and Adams both were wearing seat belts at the time of the crash. Investigators had not determined last week how fast they were going.
Adams is undergoing rehabilitation at a Bay Area facility that specializes in traumatic brain injury, according to a GoFundMe page set up to help fund his treatment.
An update from Dec. 17 said he is undergoing multiple types of therapies and his team is hopeful for his recovery.
