The passengers in the car were a young Taiwanese couple who were in the country on a visit. According to the Manteca Bulletin, the couple was on their way to Santa Clara at about 6 pm on Friday night, when their car was broadsided by a pickup truck. The truck’s driver didn’t wait around to see how he could help the occupants of the car. He fled from the scene.
The driver of the car, 35-year-old Chung Yuyu, told police that he had no recollection of anything that happened after the pickup crashed into his car. His fiancee, I-Seng Ling was trapped in the right side of the car, which suffered the greatest impact of the car accident. She had to be extricated from the car after rescue personnel removed the door to free her. Ling was taken to the hospital for treatment of her injuries.
The news story would have ended right there if police hadn’t found the license plate of the pickup truck on the road. They immediately contacted the Ripon Police Department to identify the vehicle, and match it with the license plate that he left behind. Within a few hours, it was established that the owner of the truck had indeed been the one driving the pickup. Ripon police officers went to his house, and administered breathalyzer, sobriety and field sobriety tests. According to officers, he failed and was booked. The truck driver tried to protest, the news report says, claiming that all he had were a few beers, but to no avail. He was taken to San Joaquin county jail.