By Khalida Sarwari
The Santa Clara County medical examiner’s office has identified the second person killed in a drunken-driving crash on state Highway 1 in unincorporated Santa Cruz County over the weekend as 56-year-old Christopher Bliss, of Watsonville.
The crash happened shortly before 2 p.m. Sunday on Highway 1 at Scaroni Road, north of Santa Cruz. Bliss died of his injuries early Tuesday at Regional Medical Center of San Jose.
The same crash claimed the life of 54-year-old Scotts Valley resident Jose Barrientos.
The crash occurred when a southbound Honda Odyssey driven by 38-year-old Sherri Chinn veered into northbound traffic and slammed into Barrientos’ Harley Davidson, California Highway Patrol Officer Sarah Jackson said.
Chinn then collided head-on with a black BMW driven by Barrientos’ 27-year-old wife. She suffered minor injuries, but their 7-month-old daughter was uninjured, Jackson said.
Barrientos was pronounced dead at the scene.
Bliss, who was sitting in the front passenger seat in Chinn’s Honda, succumbed to his injuries at about 3:45 a.m. Tuesday. A second passenger in the Honda, a 55-year-old man, suffered major injuries and was transported to Valley Medical Center.
Chinn had a blood-alcohol content of 0.24, three times the legal limit, and was arrested, according to the CHP.
Santa Cruz County Assistant District Attorney Barbara Rizzieri said Chinn has two prior DUI convictions.
She has been charged with two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, two counts of driving under the influence causing great bodily injury, and one count of driving with a suspended license, Rizzieri said.
She appeared in court Wednesday and pleaded not guilty. She remains in custody in lieu of $100,000 bail and could face 15 years to life in prison if convicted.
Chinn is due back in court for a preliminary hearing on Nov. 19.