Woman Was Under The Influence When She Drove Car Off Cliff, Killing Family On Mendocino County Coast
Image Credit: Tristan Fortsch / Associated Press
Article Link | Author: Hailey Branson-Potts
The driver of a vehicle that plunged off a Northern California cliff last month in a fatal crash thought to have killed all eight members of the family was under the influence of alcohol, and the crash appears intentional, authorities said Friday.
Jennifer Hart was behind the wheel of a sport utility vehicle that fell 100 feet into the Pacific Ocean off a remote stretch of Highway 1 in Mendocino County, killing her, her wife and three of their six children. The body of an African American girl was pulled from the surf last week, and further tests will confirm whether it's one of the missing children. There has been no sign of the other two children.
Preliminary toxicology results show that Jennifer Hart's blood-alcohol level was 0.102%, Mendocino County Sheriff-Coroner Thomas Allman said at an afternoon news conference. California drivers are considered legally drunk if they have a blood-alcohol level of 0.08% or higher.
Toxicology tests also showed that her wife, Sarah Hart, had a "significant amount" of an ingredient primarily used in Benadryl in her system, said CHP Capt. Bruce Carpenter. Two of the children also were determined to have "Benadryl-type substances in their system," he said.
