GLENHAVEN, Calif. – Medication is believed to have been a factor in a Thursday afternoon crash near Glenhaven that claimed the life of a Crescent City woman.
Joyce Rakestraw, 77, died in the single-vehicle wreck, which occurred shortly after 12:37 p.m. on Highway 20 at Mary Street, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Her husband, Raymond Daniel Rakestraw Jr., 80, sustained major injuries, the CHP said.
Raymond Rakestraw was driving a 2005 Buick Park Avenue eastbound on Highway 20 approaching Mary Street, driving between 45 and 50 miles per hour, when – for an unknown reason – he allowed the vehicle to drift off the highway's south edge, according to the CHP.
The CHP said the car struck a pier and overturned.
Joyce Rakestraw, riding in the front passenger seat, was pronounced dead at the scene by Northshore Fire Protection District personnel, according to the report.
While the wreck remains under investigation, the CHP believes prescription medication is a factor.
Raymond Rakestraw was arrested for driving under the influence and then released for treatment of his injuries to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, where he was transported by a REACH air ambulance, the CHP said.
Both of the Rakestraws were wearing their seat belts, and the vehicle's airbags deployed, the CHP said.
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