Jessica Avila Munoz Obituary, Death – A Santa Rosa man with a history of multiple DUI convictions is once again facing charges for allegedly driving drunk and causing a fatal collision on Friday in Santa Rosa. The victim, 31-year-old Jessica Avila Munoz, was identified by Santa Rosa police on Saturday.
According to police reports, Munoz was making a left turn from Lombardi Court onto eastbound Sebastopol Road when her white Honda was struck by a Dodge pickup truck driven by 68-year-old Nhan Van Nguyen. Nguyen is accused of running a red light while heading west on Sebastopol Road, leading to the collision.
The impact of the crash caused Munoz’s vehicle to collide with a third vehicle, a Prius. The driver of the Prius was unharmed, but Munoz was severely injured and trapped in her car. Firefighters arrived at the scene around 1:35 p.m. and extricated her from the vehicle. Despite being rushed to the hospital, Munoz succumbed to her injuries.
Nguyen was also taken to the hospital, though he was not injured in the crash. Police observed signs of intoxication, and subsequent tests confirmed that he was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident. It was revealed that Nguyen has four previous DUI convictions and was driving with a suspended license.
Nguyen was arrested and booked into Sonoma County Jail on charges of gross vehicular manslaughter and felony DUI causing great bodily injury. The intersection where the crash occurred was closed for about six hours as police conducted their investigation.
