Last Updated on January 19, 2023 by C-CAR
The mother of 3-year-old twins was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence early Wednesday, Nov. 23, after she crashed into the back of a pickup on a Riverside freeway, a collision that killed one girl and injured the other, the California Highway Patrol said.
Agyeiah Adams, a 22-year-old Riverside resident, was also arrested on suspicion of child endangerment and was not licensed to drive, said Officer Javier Navarro, a CHP spokesman.
Superior Court records show that Adams is still paying off a $1,301 fine after she pleaded no contest to driving without a license and failing to provide proof of insurance following an October 2020 traffic stop in Riverside.
In Wednesday’s collision, Adams was driving a Kia Optima south on the 215 Freeway north of Blaine Street around 12:30 a.m. when the GMC pickup ahead of her in the right lane experienced mechanical problems and angled off to the right shoulder. Adams crashed into the left rear of the pickup, causing the Kia to overturn. The Kia’s right rear side suffered the greatest damage, Navarro said.
Both girls were secured in car seats in the back seat, but the impact killed the girl sitting on the right side, Navarro said. The other twin suffered a laceration and was hospitalized. Adams had minor injuries and also was hospitalized, Navarro said.
No one in the pickup was reported injured, he said.
Both vehicles were towed to be examined.
Navarro said it was not immediately clear how fast the Kia was traveling or where Adams had been or was headed.
All lanes were closed for a time; the last of the lanes reopened around 4 a.m.
