A man that is suspected to have hit and killed a woman jogger in Chico just after 9 AM has been arrested under the suspicion of driving under the influence of Marijuana and vehicular manslaughter.
The pedestrian accident happened on Oro Chico Highway and California Highway Patrol arrested the suspect at the scene of the accident. CHP says the suspect displayed symptoms of being under the influence of Marijuana and “reeked” of marijuana. According to the news, the suspect stated that one of his dogs jumped on him while driving causing him to swerve. There was no proof that the dog did not play a factor in the crash says the CHP. Even with the dog as a possible reason for the accident the officers have to go with the impairment of the driver.
The 56 year old victim was a fifth grade teacher and served her school district for 29 years. The suspect was booked into the County Jail on charges of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and causing injury while driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. His bail was set at $215,000.
This is probably going to set back the legalization for Marijuana movement here in California just a bit. Although, this is literally the first time I have heard of an auto accident involving marijuana. In fact we report about accidents in California on our Los Angeles personal injury attorney site everyday and this is the first time I have ever written about such a case. We’ll keep an eye out on how this story plays out.
