By Khalida Sarwari
A woman who was killed in a crash caused by a wrong-way driver on state Highway 17 in Santa Cruz on Monday has been identified by the Santa Cruz County coroner’s office as Ana Barajas.
The crash happened at about 3:10 p.m. on southbound Highway 17 near where it connects with state Highway 1.
Barajas, 48, a Santa Cruz resident, was driving south the highway when the suspect, identified as 29-year-old Eric Weers, of Soquel, drove his silver Acura SUV head-on into Barajas’ maroon Chrysler sedan.
She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Weers’ SUV caught fire, but he managed to escape unharmed, CHP Officer Hatcher said.
A preliminary investigation indicated that the collision was intentional, but that Weers chose Barajas’ car to crash into at random, Hatcher said.
Alcohol and drugs do not appear to be factors in the crash, he said.
Weers was arrested on suspicion of murder, assault with a deadly weapon, driving the wrong way on a divided highway, and vehicular manslaughter.