A Redwood City man will serve no more than five years in state prison after pleading no contest to a drunken driving collision that killed a 50-year-old woman on U.S. Highway 101 in San Mateo on Jan. 19, according to the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office.
Ramon Hernandez, 32, pleaded no contest to multiple charges including felony drunk driving causing injury and having a blood alcohol level over .15 percent in connection with the collision that took the life of 50-year-old Ivania Torres, according to prosecutors.
The incident occurred at 1:45 a.m. Sunday morning after a crash occurred between a Dodge Charger occupied by Torres and a Toyota Yaris in the southbound lanes on 101 south of the Third Avenue exit in San Mateo. The crash rendered the Charger disabled in the center median and caused debris to be strewn across the freeway, prompting oncoming traffic to slow or stop, prosecutors said. Occupants of the Charger including Torres exited the vehicle and were standing outside the vehicle when Hernandez “came speeding down the freeway at 70 mph in the fast lane,” prosecutors said.
Hernandez’s vehicle collided with the disabled Charger, killing Torres. His girlfriend was also hospitalized in the collision.
Hernandez had reportedly been drinking in San Francisco prior to the crash. He remains in custody on $100,000 bail and his case was continued to Aug. 20 for sentencing.
