By Henry K. Lee
Updated Monday, August 17, 2015
A San Pablo man was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving after he sideswiped another car in El Sobrante, causing a fiery crash that killed his three passengers, authorities said.
The crash happened on San Pablo Dam Road near Tri Lane about 10 p.m. Sunday, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Four people in a 1971 Chevrolet Camaro were heading east when the driver sideswiped a westbound 2002 Honda Civic and lost control, CHP officials said. The 35-year-old woman driving the Honda suffered minor injuries, said CHP Officer John Fransen.
After hitting the Honda, the Camaro, traveling at high speed, slammed into a tree and burst into flames.
The driver, Justin Gardner, 28, wasn’t wearing his seat belt and was ejected, authorities said. CHP officials determined that he was under the influence of alcohol and arrested him on suspicion of DUI.
His three passengers died. They were a 26-year-old San Pablo man, a 23-year-old Richmond woman and a 24-year-old San Pablo woman. Their names were not released Monday.
Autopsies by the Contra Costa County coroner will determine whether they died as a result of the crash or the fire, authorities said.