Felony charges are expected to be filed Friday against a 35-year-old woman suspected of causing a deadly roadside crash on the Riverside (91) Freeway in Corona while driving under the influence.
Marzia Lisbeth Barboza of Long Beach was arrested Saturday night after the wreck on the westbound 91 near McKinley Street in Corona.
Eulalia Cazares Barragan, 48, of Corona was fatally injured in the crash, while four people were seriously injured.
Barboza required treatment for moderate injuries and was under arrest while recovering at a regional trauma center. She was cleared on Wednesday by doctors for transfer to the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside, where she was booked on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, DUI resulting in great bodily injury and DUI resulting in property damage.
The suspect is being held on $75,000 bail.
Her case was under review Thursday by the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office.
According to California Highway Patrol Officer Javier Navarro, just before 11 p.m. Saturday, a BMW 528i and a Hyundai sedan were involved in a collision on the westbound 91, just west of McKinley, and the drivers of both vehicles pulled to the shoulder, where all of the occupants got out and waited for roadside assistance, standing near their cars.
Barboza was at the wheel of her Nissan Altima, traveling on the westbound 91 at an unconfirmed speed, when she allowed the car to drift right, where it “struck the left rear of the BMW,” Navarro alleged.
“After the initial impact, the BMW was pushed into the path of the five pedestrians, who were standing on the right shoulder dirt embankment,” he said.
Barragan, who had been in the Hyundai, suffered massive physical trauma when the BMW hit her.
Navarro said that Corona Fire Department paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene minutes later.
“The other four pedestrians were transported to a local hospital with major injuries,” the CHP spokesman said.
Barboza was taken to another medical facility.
Background information on the suspect was available.