Photo: Scene of DUI fatality wreck
Santa Barbara County – A chain-reaction three-vehicle crash on a Santa Ynez Valley roadway on December 17th left two people dead and multiple others seriously injured. Behind the wheel of the inciting vehicle was 30-year-old Santa Maria resident Rigoberto Gracida Paucene.
It was a Nissan SUV which drifted into oncoming traffic on State Highway 154 and, according to Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department Public Information Officer Kelly Hoover, “collided with a Honda Accord driven by Hamilton Dias Bonilla, 35.”
At that point, Paucene’s Nissan flipped and was promptly smashed into by a Dodge minivan driven by 43-year-old Aurelio Zaragoza, with his 50-year-old passenger Antonia Santiago seated in the passenger seat.
By the time CHP units arrived on the scene, Bonilla and Santiago were “declared dead,” while Zaragoza “suffered major injuries” and Bonilla’s passenger—32-year-old Antonio Rafael—“had moderate injuries.”
The on-scene investigation determined that Paucene appeared to be under the influence of alcohol, with further analysis revealing his blood alcohol content at .10 percent, well in excess of the statutory limit of .08.
With that evidence in hand, Paucene was arrested and transported to Santa Barbara County Jail, where he was booked on felony DUI with special allegations for causing great bodily injury, driving with a blood alcohol content above the legal limit, driving on a suspended or revoked license, and making an illegal turn.
Photo: Courtesy Santa Barbara County Fire Deparment
