Crime & Safety

Suspected Drunk Driver from Novato Almost Hits CHP Officer in Highway 101

The Novato driver crashed into a Caltrans construction vehicle early Thursday morning in Corte Madera, according to the California Highway Patrol.

A suspected drunk driver crashed from Novato into a Caltrans construction vehicle on Hwy. 101 southbound in Corte Madera early Thursday morning, March 21, nearly missing a parked California Highway Patrol car. 

Around 1:50 a.m. Thursday, Marin CHP officers were assisting Caltrans construction crews on southbound US-101 north of the Madera Boulevard exit when 30-year-old Juan Carlos Avilez-Chuc of Novato collided with a stopped Caltrans truck, according to CHP. The driver of the Caltrans vehicle was able to jump to safety just before the crash. 

Avilez-Chuc nearly missed colliding into a parked CHP vehicle shortly before the crash. The CHP vehicle had its overhead emergency lights on, according to CHP. 

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The Caltrans worker was in the process of picking up construction cones that had been set up to close the slow lane for construction.

The 2013 Saturn Ion Avilez-Chuc was driving collided with the truck, spun out of control and collided with a metal guardrail on the right-hand shoulder before coming to a stop sideways, blocking two lanes of traffic, according to CHP. 

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Avilez-Chuc was transported to Marin General Hospital for minor injuries. He was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and was booked into Marin County Jail. 

Two lanes of traffic were closed for approximately 45 minutes while law enforcement investigated. 

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