Man, 30, arrested after leaving crash that left 1 dead; 5 injured

VICTORVILLE, Calif. (VVNG.com) – Brandon Troy Blakely, 30, of Victorville, was arrested at his residence after he walked away from a rollover crash that left at least one person dead Thursday night, officials said.

Police say Blakely was the driver of a Mercury Mariner SUV occupied with five additional passengers was traveling northbound on Highway 395 near Eucalyptus Street. The crash happened, as Blakely attempted to pass a big rig on the dirt shoulder and lost control, causing the vehicle to overturn and roll multiple times.

“Two subjects were ejected from the vehicle during the collision,” sheriff’s officials confirmed in a Friday morning news release.

A female passenger was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead on-scene by San Bernardino County Fire. A second patient (unknown age/gender) was transported by ground ambulance to Loma Linda University Medical Center and three other occupants were taken to various local hospitals for treatment of ‘moderate to major injuries’.

“The driver of the Mercury Mariner, later identified as Brandon Blakely, fled the scene of the collision and was located by deputies a short time later at his residence,” sheriff’s officials said.

Blakely was taken into custody and booked on multiple felony charges including vehicular manslaughter, hit and run causing death, and reckless driving, according to public arrest records. Blakely is currently being held in lieu of a $100,000 bail and is scheduled for arraignment in a Victorville courtroom on January 2, 2018.

The name of the woman killed will be released when positive identification is made and next-of-kin is notified.

MAIT Investigators are continuing the investigation into the collision and the cause. The crash investigation prompted officials to shut down Highway 395 between Bear Valley Road and Main Street for nearly 10 hours.

Anyone with information or anyone who may have witnessed the collision is urged to contact Deputy Adam Hylin, Deputy Chris Dekeyrel or Deputy Amir Awad from the Victorville Station at 760-241-2911.

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Fatal rollover crash shuts down Highway 395 Thursday night