A 66-year-old Vacaville woman was killed early Sunday when a driver going the wrong way on southbound Interstate 505 slammed head-on into her 2026 Nissan Kicks near Putah Creek Road. The 45-year-old Vallejo man behind the wheel of the wrong-way vehicle, a 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe, was taken into custody at the scene on suspicion of felony driving under the influence.
According to CHP - Solano, the crash happened at approximately 12:40 a.m. after the suspect made a U-turn on the freeway following a missed exit. As reported by SFGate, officers said the man believed he was driving on a two-way county road rather than the freeway when he ended up traveling northbound in the southbound lanes. He was suspected of a high level of intoxication and was the Tahoe's sole occupant, sustaining only minor injuries in the crash. The woman driving the Nissan was pronounced deceased at the scene and was the sole occupant of her vehicle.
Dispatch Got an Automated Alert Before Witness Calls
CHP Solano Area dispatch received word of the crash on southbound I-505 just south of Putah Creek Road through an automated iPhone crash alert, per the agency's release. That kind of smartphone crash detection, built into iPhone 14 models and later, automatically dials 911 and transmits GPS coordinates when a driver becomes unresponsive after a severe impact, a feature FOX54 News detailed in a report on the technology this past July.
The collision primarily involved the two vehicles, but additional vehicles sustained damage after striking debris scattered from the initial impact, and the crash overall involved multiple vehicles. Officers investigated the scene while southbound traffic on I-505 was diverted at Putah Creek Road. Crews eventually cleared the roadway, and the freeway was fully reopened at approximately 4:20 a.m. The suspect is set to be booked into Solano County Jail. CHP's Solano Area Office is asking any witnesses with additional information to contact its office, and the agency reminded motorists of what it called the severe and tragic consequences of driving under the influence.
A Familiar and Deadly Pattern on Solano County Freeways
This is not the first fatal wrong-way crash on this stretch of highway. In January, CBS News reported that a wrong-way driver in a Toyota Prius died after colliding head-on with a Subaru Forester on southbound I-505 near Allendale Road, a crash that also forced CHP to divert southbound traffic at Putah Creek Road. That same month, Hoodline reported on a triple-fatal wrong-way crash on westbound Interstate 80 near the Cordelia Weigh Station that shut down the highway for more than four hours.
Statewide, wrong-way collisions kill an average of 43 people annually on California highways, according to the California Office of Traffic Safety, and 61.4% of wrong-way driver crashes in the state involved impaired drivers in 2019. Caltrans safety reporting notes that while wrong-way crashes make up less than 3% of all highway collisions nationwide, their fatality rate on California highways runs 12 times higher than other highway crashes, largely due to the combined speed of head-on impacts. A Solano Transportation Authority safety study also documented 487 fatal or severe injury crashes across the county between 2012 and 2017, with impaired driving among the leading factors.
What Comes Next for the Suspect
Caltrans has said its wrong-way prevention efforts, including red reflective pavement markers and illuminated warning signs installed at freeway off-ramps, have reduced reported wrong-way entries by 44% to 64% where deployed. It remains an open question whether such systems are currently in place at the I-505 interchanges near this crash, and CHP's release does not specify whether the suspect entered the freeway through an off-ramp or turned around directly on the mainline after missing his exit.
Legally, the suspect currently faces suspicion of felony DUI. Under California Vehicle Code Section 23153, driving under the influence becomes a felony punishable by up to three years in state prison when an impaired driver's unlawful act or neglect of duty causes injury or death to another person. Should prosecutors review toxicology results and crash reconstruction findings and decide to escalate the case, California Penal Code Section 191.5(a) allows for a charge of Gross Vehicular Manslaughter While Intoxicated, a felony punishable by 4, 6, or 10 years in state prison, or 15 years to life if the suspect has qualifying prior DUI convictions.
