Salinas woman to be sentenced for crash that killed three people
SALINAS, Calif. (KION) A Salinas woman will soon be sentenced to prison for a crash that killed three people and injured one other person in 2019.
On May 31, 2019 at 5:30 a.m., the Monterey County District Attorney's Office said 20-year-old Anai Rangel and her mother, 43-year-old Teresa Rangel, left their Salinas home to go to work in Watsonville. On their way, they picked up 58-year-old Marta Rangel Torres and 49-year-old Blanca Rangel.
They were heading north on San Miguel Canyon Road when the DA's Office said Anai Rangel saw a Chevy Malibu driven by 29-year-old Hilda Beatriz Valencia Flores heading south in the northbound lane. She tried to swerve, but the other vehicle swerved in the same direction, resulting in a head-on crash.
Teresa Rangel, Marta Rangel Torres and Blanca Rangel all died of blunt force trauma as a result of the crash. Anai Rangel survived, but had multiple fractures.
Another driver had been driving behind Valencia Flores and saw her swerving, so he tried to call 911 to report a possible drunk driver, but saw the crash shortly afterwards.
When officers with the California Highway Patrol got to the scene and contacted Valencia Flores, they said she showed signs of being under the influence. A meth pipe was found in her jacket pocket. A blood sample analyzed by the Department of Justice confirmed that she had meth in her system.
Valencia Flores will be sentenced for three counts of gross vehicular manslaughter with intoxication and one count of driving under the influence of a drug, causing great bodily injury. She is expected to be sentenced to 11 years and 8 months in prison in March.
