Update: Coroner IDs passenger killed in suspected DUI crash in northeast Modesto
Amber Coffey, 34, of Turlock was the passenger killed in a crash Monday in northeast Modesto, the Stanislaus County Coroner’s Office said Wednesday.
The driver, Michael Anthony Smith, 39, of Modesto, faces charges of gross vehicular manslaughter and driving while impaired. He remains in the county jail on $250,000 bail.
The California Highway Patrol responded just before 5 a.m. Monday to Santa Fe Avenue, just southeast of Claus Road. A news release said Smith was driving a 2010 Honda sedan south when it went off the east roadway edge and overturned several times.
Coffey was in a rear passenger seat and died at the scene, the CHP reported. It said two other passengers from Modesto were treated at Memorial Medical Center for minor to moderate injuries. One is a 62-year-old woman, the other a 33-year-old man.
Smith was not injured, the report said. The jail booking log does not yet show a court date on the felony charges.
“The CHP would like to remind all motorists: driving under the influence is a choice,” the release said. “Designate a sober driver or utilize a rideshare option. Drive to arrive.”
This story was originally published March 23, 2026 at 11:47 AM.
