Crime & Safety
UPDATED: Victim ID'd in DUI-Suspected Fatal Crash in Los Altos; Cops Seek Witnesses
A 27-year-old man from Mountain View was a passenger in the vehicle and died at the scene. The driver, 33, also from Mountain View, was arrested.
UPDATED: Friday, March 28, 7:41 p.m.
Lee, a resident of Mountain View, was killed in a crash that was reported at 11:07 p.m. around Fremont Avenue and Marymeade Lane in the vicinity of Marymeade Park, police said.
Responding officers found a 2006 Chevrolet involved in an accident with major damage to the passenger side, police said.
The driver, later identified as Miroslav Samardzija, a 33-year-old Mountain View man, got out of the car after the accident, but his front-seat passenger, Lee, was seriously injured.
Emergency crews pronounced Lee dead at the scene. Samardzija was taken to a hospital with moderate injuries.
At the hospital, officers determined that Samardzija had been driving under the influence, police said.
He was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, DUI and reckless driving, but remained at the hospital for treatment as of this morning, police said.
The collision is under investigation by the Los Altos Police Department Traffic Division and the joint Palo Alto/ Los Altos Specialized Traffic Accident Reconstruction (STAR) team.
Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call Los Altos police Sgt. Paul Arguelles at (650) 947-2770.
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Friday, March 28, 7:45 a.m.
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A Mountain View man was arrested in connection with a fatal accident Thursday evening that claimed the life his 27-year-old passenger on Fremont Avenue and Marymeade Lane, according to police.
Los Altos Police and fire units responded at 11:07 p.m. to Fremont and Marymeade where a 2005 Chevrolet was had crashed with major damage to its passenger side. The driver was able to exit the vehicle, but the passenger was gravely injured, police said.
Find out what's happening in Los Altoswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Santa Clara County Fire Department personnel, along with Rural Metro EMS, treated the involved parties, and at 11:15 p.m. declared the passenger, a 27-year old male from Mountain View, deceased at the scene, police said.
His identity is being withheld pending notification of the family by the Santa Clara County Coroner’s Office, police said.
The driver, Miroslav Samardzija, a 33-year-old Mountain View resident, was transported to a local hospital with moderate injuries, police said.
Officers determined at the hospital that Samardzija was suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, and placed him under arrest.
He remain at the hospital for treatment of his injuries.
Samardzija faces charges of alleged gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, suspicion of DUI causing bodily injury and suspected reckless driving, according to authorities.
The collision is under investigation by the Los Altos Police Department Traffic Division and the joint Palo Alto/ Los Altos Specialized Traffic Accident Reconstruction (STAR) team.
Anyone with information pertaining to this collision should contact Sergeant Paul Arguelles at 650-947-2770.
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