The California Highway Patrol’s investigation into a Jan. 13 fatal car wreck on Union Road is not finished, according to an agency spokesman.
Breanna Stewart, 19, of Hollister, was accused of driving under the influence and gross vehicular manslaughter after the accident at Union Road and San Benito Streets.
CHP investigators have alleged, through field-sobriety tests, that the driver’s blood-alcohol concentration was above 0.08 percent while there is no legal limit for drivers under age 21.
Ryan McFall, a 2006 graduate of San Benito High School who recently moved to Sacramento, died in the single-car accident around 3 a.m. Jan. 13. The car, a 2009 Hyundai Sonata – registered to the driver’s mother Patricia Stewart – was westbound on Union Road when Stewart lost control and crashed into a light pole at the intersection, according to the CHP. The car was severely damaged on the front right side and along the right side.
McFall, 23, died at the scene before responders arrived. Responders initially transported Stewart to Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital for treatment. She was booked into the San Benito County Jail and released after posting bail set at $100,000. At the scene, Stewart told investigators she and McFall were coming from Tres Pinos and were on their way home.
The CHP recommended the DUI and vehicular manslaughter charges, but had yet to complete the investigation as of Thursday and had not filed a police report with the San Benito County District Attorney’s Office. CHP spokesman Officer Juan Navarro said another officer was handling the investigation, but that the case remains listed as “under review.” He did not have other details as to why the investigation is held up or whether the CHP is waiting for toxicology reports.
McFall was born in Rutherglen, Scotland, on July 3, 1988. His family moved to Cupertino in April 1994 and came to Tres Pinos in July 1996. He attended Tres Pinos Elementary school from 1996 to 2002 and was a 2006 graduate of San Benito High School, where he was an all-Tri County Athletic League pitcher for the Balers. He had been studying electrical engineering at American River College.
McFall is survived by parents Shaun and Sarah, and younger brothers Gareth and Scott.
