Lakeport >> A teenage boy sustained major head trauma when he fell from the back of a truck driven by a woman who police suspect had been drinking.
According to police, Barbara Sowash, 50, was driving a 1998 Dodge Dakota pickup truck Friday night with two minors riding in the open bed seated on top of the tailgate.
The truck was headed westbound on Todd Road Extension at an unknown speed when the 15-year-old victim fell out and landed on the dirt and gravel road, California Highway Patrol officer Ryan Erickson reported. Medical personnel first transported the boy to Sutter Lakeside Hospital and later flew him to Oakland Children’s Hospital via REACH air ambulance.
Sowash was evaluated at the scene, arrested and charged with a felony suspicion of driving under the influence of an alcoholic beverage and felony child endangerment. The crash remains under investigation by Erickson.
