A three-vehicle crash this week in the Santa Clarita area left a motorist dead and a suspected drunken driver in custody.
The crash about 11:25 p.m. Monday at Soledad Canyon and Sand Canyon roads involved a Ford Ranger pickup truck, a Hyundai Elantra and a Toyota Prius, according to the sheriff’s department.
“Preliminary indications are that the driver of the Ford Ranger pickup truck, 20-year-old Joshua Austin of Santa Clarita, was traveling westbound on Soledad Canyon Road, when he failed to stop at a red light, and collided with the driver’s side of the Hyundai Elantra,” according to a sheriff’s statement.
The driver of the Hyundai, who died at the scene, was not immediately identified. The driver of the Toyota was taken to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries.
Austin was booked on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, with bail set at $120,000, the sheriff’s department reported.
“Speed and driving under the influence of alcohol are being examined as possible factors that led to the fatal traffic collision,” the sheriff’s statement said.
Anyone with information on the crash was urged to call detectives at (661) 255-1121, or Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS.
