One man died and another arrested for DUI after head-on collision in Santa Maria Aug. 25

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – A 41-year-old Lompoc man was arrested for driving under the influence after colliding head-on with another vehicle on Skyway Drive early in the morning of Aug. 25.

The driver of the impacted vehicle, Mathew Venable of Santa Maria, later died from his injuries on Aug. 30 shared the Santa Maria Police Department in a press release Tuesday, Sep. 10.

On Aug. 25, around 1:13 a.m., a 41-year-old Lompoc man was driving westbound on Skyway Drive when he failed to properly navigate the bend where Skyway Drive changes into a north-south direction stated the Santa Maria Police Department.

As a result, the Lompoc driver was traveling westbound in the eastbound lanes of Skyway when he collided head-on with an eastbound vehicle driven by Mathew Venable explained the Santa Maria Police Department.

Venable had life-threatening injuries as a result and the passenger in the Lompoc man's vehicle had moderate injuries that required a suture for a cut to his head shared the Santa Maria Police Department.

According to Santa Maria Police, the 41-year-old Lompoc man was suspected of driving under the influence at the time and, after an investigation at the scene, he was arrested and booked on the same night for driving under the influence and felony DUI crash with injury.

This incident remains under investigation by the Santa Maria Police Department Traffic Unit.