Two of the four people killed in a crash caused by an intoxicated wrong-way driver on Highway 101 in San Francisco Thursday were San Mateo County residents, authorities said.
They include 34-year-old Emilie Ross of Hillsborough, who the CHP said was under the influence of alcohol while driving her Volkswagen sedan southbound in the northbound lanes near Paul Avenue about 12:24 a.m. Thursday. Her car collided head-on with a taxi cab driven by Berkant Ramadan Ahmed, 42, of San Carlos, according to the California Highway Patrol.
All four people involved in the crash died, including two passengers Ahmed had picked up at San Francisco International Airport: Mary Miller, 57, of Chicago and Judson Bergman, 62, of Barrington, Illinois.
The incident marked the 25th wrong-way driver collisision in the Bay Area this year with 10 resulting in 19 deaths, CHP officials said.
“This is a problem that is affecting the entire Bay Area,” said Golden Gate Division Chief Ernie Sanchez. “Rest assured that the California Highway Patrol will continue to proactively patrol and enforce laws pertaining to DUI and will also continue to work closely with our stakeholders, to include Caltrans, in order to identify and improve the potential on and off ramps where motorists are entering freeways traveling in the wrong direction. In addition, CHP will continue partnering with law enforcement agencies on proactive enforcement and work to identify avenues to prevent motorists from entering freeways from city streets, while driving in the wrong direction.”
Photo Credit: CHP
