He is accused of driving drunk, and now a girl hurt in the crash is dead

A 17-year-old girl injured in a collision on Nov. 10 at Maple and Olive avenues died of her injuries, the Fresno County coroner reported Wednesday.

She was identified as Choua Yang of Fresno. A 22-year-old driver and his 53-year-old mother in the same car were injured in the crash, which happened after they were struck by a suspected drunken driver, according to Fresno police.

The crash occurred about 8:30 a.m. The driver of a Ford SUV, identified as Stephen Blaine Darnell, 46, was southbound on Maple Avenue approaching Olive Avenue when he ran a red light and broadsided the red Honda, which was eastbound on Olive, according to Lt. Joe Gomez.

Darnell told officers he was reaching to pick up a lunch pail in his SUV when the crash occurred. However, officers later determined he was under the influence of alcohol. Darnell was booked on charges of felony driving under the influence. He sustained a cut on his leg.

Darnell could face felony manslaughter charges due to the girl’s death. The District Attorney’s Office will review the evidence before making that decision.

This story was originally published November 16, 2016 at 11:54 AM with the headline "He is accused of driving drunk, and now a girl hurt in the crash is dead."