Exclusive Update: Wrong-Way Driver Killed in Jan. 11 Crash Had High Blood-Alcohol Level

The woman killed in a fiery wrong-way collision on Interstate 8 in eastern Imperial County on Jan. 11 had a blood-alcohol level more than twice the legal limit, the Imperial County Coroner’s Office confirmed on April 1.

An autopsy determined that Yunuen Rodriguez, 27, a field worker from Yuma, had a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.162. The legal limit in California is 0.08. The coroner reported that Rodriguez died from blunt force trauma sustained in the crash.

The California Highway Patrol previously stated that the crash happened shortly after 5 a.m. when a vehicle traveling east in the interstate’s westbound lanes struck a sport-utility vehicle before colliding with a tractor-trailer. CHP did not identify Rodriguez at the time of the crash.

No other fatalities were reported in the incident.

The crash occurred about a mile west of the interstate’s intersection with state Highway 98, leading to a temporary closure of the freeway.

CHP has not commented on why Rodriguez was driving the wrong way or what she was doing before the collision.