Sunnyvale woman dies of injuries in crash

SANTA CLARA » An 89-yearold Sunnyvale woman died Thursday after the car she was riding in collided with two other vehicles at the intersection of Lawrence Expressway and Monroe Avenue, the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety reported Saturday.

The passenger, Ratikanta Shah, was transported to a local hospital but died of her injuries, police said.

The driver of one of the involved vehicles, Oscar Pazarciga, 21, was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence. He was treated at a hospital and then booked into Santa Clara County Jail, Capt. Shawn Ahearn said.

Other details about the crash were not immediately available. Both the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety and Santa Clara firefighters responded to the collision, which occurred in Santa Clara near the Sunnyvale border about 8:40 p.m. Thursday.

The area is patrolled by three law-enforcement agencies — Sunnyvale, Santa Clara police and the California Highway Patrol, which handles some traffic enforcement for Santa Clara. And that caused a delay in publicly reporting the accident.

Anyone with information about the crash may contact Lt. Tracy Hern of the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety at 408-730-7109.

Contact Sharon Noguchi at 408-271-3775.