Nine Injured in Highway 29 Head On Crash Near St Helena

NAPA COUNTY, CA – Nine people were hospitalized Saturday evening after a sport utility vehicle crossed the center line on Highway 29 north of St. Helena and struck another SUV head on, according to the California Highway Patrol. The Highway 29 collision was reported at about 6:10 p.m. on Oct. 3.

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Lucid Crossed Into Northbound Lane

CHP investigators said a Lucid Gravity was traveling south when it moved across the highway’s center line and entered the northbound lane. The Lucid struck a northbound Jeep Grand Cherokee. The preliminary account did not describe any evasive movement by either driver before the impact or identify a mechanical problem, roadway obstruction or weather condition that contributed to the lane crossing.

The Lucid carried its driver and two passengers. The Jeep carried its driver and five passengers. Emergency crews transported everyone in the two vehicles to hospitals with injuries that authorities classified as moderate to major. Officials did not identify the hospitals or release later medical updates, and the public report did not distinguish the condition of any one occupant from the others.

CHP officers, Cal Fire personnel and Napa County firefighters responded to the crash scene. The collision fully blocked Highway 29 while crews treated the injured occupants and tow operators removed the damaged vehicles. Authorities did not provide a reopening time or report a secondary collision during the closure. The initial account also did not describe the vehicles’ final positions or the extent of their damage.

St. Helena Driver Booked After Medical Clearance

After the Lucid driver received medical clearance, CHP officers determined that the driver was under the influence of alcohol, authorities said. The driver was booked into the Napa County jail on suspicion of felony driving under the influence. The public account did not disclose a chemical test result, a measured blood-alcohol level or the observations that led officers to their preliminary determination.

The booking reflected an allegation at an early stage of the investigation and did not resolve the complete cause of the crash. CHP had not released a final collision report, and the available information did not specify the speed of either SUV before the impact. Authorities also had not reported whether any occupant remained hospitalized after the initial emergency response.

The two vehicles’ opposing directions and the Lucid’s reported movement into the northbound lane established the basic sequence described by investigators. The number of occupants meant the response involved injuries in both SUVs, including five passengers traveling with the Jeep driver and two passengers traveling with the Lucid driver. Authorities did not release the occupants’ ages or describe their relationships to the drivers.

CHP continued investigating why the Lucid crossed the center line and whether any factor besides suspected alcohol impairment contributed to the collision. No final findings had been announced as of Sunday, and authorities had not reported any criminal charge beyond the driver’s booking on suspicion of felony DUI.