NBC San Diego reports that the California Highway Patrol (CHP) has released the identity of the woman accused of DUI while her children were in the car, killing one daughter and injuring two other children.
The CHP’s Public Information Officer for the law enforcement agency’s Oceanside-Area Office, Juan Escobar, told reporters that they had identified the woman as 27-year-old Kapri Raven Coleman.
According to North County Fire Protection, the crash happened at approximately 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday, July 14, 2021, when Coleman was traveling northbound on the I-15 freeway. Colman’s vehicle veered off the highway and roiled approximately 150 feet down a steep embankment before coming to a rest on its roof.
During the rollover crash, Coleman’s 5-year-old and 3-year-old daughters were ejected from the sedan while her 1-year-old son, restrained in a car safety seat, remained in the vehicle.
Authorities say Coleman’s eldest daughter did not survive the accident and died at the scene. Her younger daughter and son both suffered critical injuries and were airlifted to Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego.
CHP investigators believe that alcohol was a factor in the fatal crash and have charged Coleman with four felony counts, including gross vehicular manslaughter, two counts of DUI causing great bodily injury, and child cruelty.
“This is a tragic event,” Escobar told reporters. “It’s something that could easily be avoided. Please don’t drink and drive.”
