REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - One person is dead and 10 people were taken to hospitals after a crash early Sunday in the San Francisco Bay Area involving a car driven by a man police say had been drinking and a party bus, authorities said.
In the 2 a.m. crash, a Honda coupe driven by a 43-year-old Oakland man appears to have slammed into the center divider of Highway 101, then came to a stop in the fast lanes facing oncoming traffic, California Highway Patrol Officer Art Montiel said.
After the Honda stopped, the front end of a party bus, with 18 people on board, hit the disabled car.
A passenger in the Honda - identified only as a 36-year-old San Mateo woman - was killed in the crash. The driver of the car - identified as Raul Padilla survived - but was hospitalized in critical condition.
Padilla and his passenger had "consumed alcohol" before the crash, but toxicology tests would have to be conducted to determine if Padilla had been driving under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash, Montiel said.
"If it is determined he was under the influence, he could face felony DUI charges and manslaughter charges," Montiel said.
Most of the party bus passengers suffered minor to moderate injuries. Montiel did not know the name of the party bus company.
Two other vehicles were involved in the Redwood City crash, but the drivers were not hurt.
The southbound direction of Highway 101 was closed for about two hours after the crash, with traffic being diverted on to city streets.