Northern California Accident Attorney Blog

A suspected drunken driver was arrested Tuesday morning after a fatal crash on Interstate 680 near Sunol. The Alameda County crash occurred at about 9:35 a.m. on southbound I-680, just before the Andrade Road exit, the San Jose Mercury News reported. The suspected drunken driver, Timothy Bartlet, 53, of Livermore, was driving a Ford pickup truck southbound on I-680 when he struck the center median and veered into another Ford pickup truck driven by Adam Bajer, 45, also of Livermore.

The force of the collision caused both vehicles to overturn on the freeway. Bajer was ejected from his vehicle and died at the scene of the crash. His 35-year-old brother who was a passenger in the vehicle suffered major injuries. Bartlet, the sole occupant in his truck, was not injured. He was arrested at the scene on suspicion of felony driving under the influence after officers determined that he appeared to be impaired.

Although the cause of the crash remains under investigation, if news reports are accurate, this I-680 crash was caused by the drunken driver. Driving under the influence of alcohol is against the law, under California Vehicle Code § 23152.