5-year-old dies, 11-year-old injured in Bay Area DUI crash, CHP says

A driver was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and driving under the influence in Martinez after a solo-vehicle crash that left a 5-year-old dead and an 11-year-old with life-threatening injuries, the California Highway Patrol said.

The adult driver was in a grey Honda CR-V on westbound State Route 4 near Morello Avenue in the East Bay city just after midnight Monday.

The driver lost control of the vehicle, veering off the roadway and hitting a tree, CHP said in a statement.

Officers responded to the scene and found that the 5-year-old had not been properly restrained in a car seat, according to CHP.

The child was pronounced dead at the scene. The 11-year-old was transported to a local hospital with injuries that CHP described as major; the driver had moderate injuries.

CHP did not say whether the driver and the children are related. The agency did not immediately respond to a request for additional comment.

The crash is under investigation, and CHP is asking anyone who witnessed it to call its Contra Costa County office at 925-646-4980.