The Daily Journal
A 20-year-old Ukiah man was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence Sunday after his truck overturned on Highway 101, the California Highway Patrol reported.
According to the CHP, Derek J. Copley was driving a Ford F-150 northbound on Hwy 101 near Cloverdale at around 1:20 a.m. Jan. 9 when it hit the center divider and overturned, coming to rest on its wheels in the middle of the freeway.
There was heavy fog on the highway at the time of the accident, and a Mitsubishi driven by a 19-year-old Cloverdale man soon struck the Ford. The Cloverdale man suffered moderate injuries, but was able to help Copley get out of his car, and the two pushed the vehicles out of the road.
A third car, driven by a 49-year-old Cloverdale woman, came upon the accident and struck debris in the road. The driver’s 22-year-old son told CHP officers that Copley asked them to drive him to Ukiah.
Copley suffered major lacerations and a head injury in the collision, and his passenger, a 24-year-old St. Helena man, suffered multiple lacerations and a broken hand.
The three injured men were transported to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. When officers contacted Copley at the hospital, he reportedly showed signs of intoxication and was arrested on suspicion of DUI.
A search of his records revealed that Copley had been driving without a license and had been previously convicted for that offense.
Due to the severity of his injuries, Copley was later
transported to U.C. Davis Medical Center.
