Man arrested in second suspected DUI crash within 12 hours in Yuba City

Robert Summa, Appeal-Democrat, Marysville, Calif.
Updated ·2 min read

Feb. 7—Nearly 12 hours before a suspected DUI crash left three people severely injured on Monday afternoon in Yuba City, another suspected DUI crash in the same area resulted in the death of at least one person, law enforcement officials said.

According to the Sutter County Sheriff's Office, 21-year-old Yuba City resident Ricardo Mora-Ramirez was arrested after he allegedly was involved in a fatal collision in the area of South Walton Avenue at the intersection of Camino De Flores at around 2:10 a.m. Monday.

The collision, which only involved the vehicle allegedly driven by Mora-Ramirez, led to one passenger dying and another suffering "major injuries." It occurred after Mora-Ramirez reportedly hit a tree, the sheriff's office said.

"The result of the collision caused fatal injuries to one of the passengers, the other passenger suffered major injuries and the driver suffered moderate injuries," officials said. "The one passenger with major injuries was transported to the local hospital and is still at the hospital being treated for their injuries. The other passenger was transported to the hospital and later pronounced deceased due to the injuries suffered in the collision."

Officials said after an investigation, Mora-Ramirez was arrested for suspected driving while under the influence and charges that also include vehicle manslaughter. As of Tuesday afternoon, Mora-Ramirez was listed as still being at Sutter County Jail with bail set at $100,000.

The sheriff's office said the name of the passenger who died will be released once their next of kin has been contacted.

The crash early Monday morning was the first of two suspected DUI incidents in less than 24 hours in the area of South Walton Avenue and Camino De Flores. At around 2:16 p.m. on Monday, the Sutter County Sheriff's Office was dispatched to a vehicle collision reportedly involving pedestrians at the intersection.

Through an investigation, deputies determined that two adults and one juvenile were allegedly struck by a vehicle which was occupied by one female driver and a juvenile passenger, officials said. The driver was identified by officials as 49-year-old Chera Center of Yuba City, the Appeal previously reported.

Officials said Monday that the pedestrians allegedly involved in the collision were transported to Adventist Health/Rideout Hospital in Marysville for major injuries. Center was arrested for multiple charges including driving while under the influence.