Amador County – The San Andreas Unit of the California Highway Patrol said a Sonora woman killed Monday on Highway 49 in Calaveras County may have been texting on her cell phone while driving when the fatal crash occurred.

CHP public information officer Rebecca Myers in a release Wednesday said CHP has “determined that a major contributing factor” in the crash killing 22-year-old Lisa Marie Villalobos-Wilson “was because the driver was texting on her cell phone.”

“According to cell phone records released by her parents,” Villalobos-Wilson “was in the process of sending or had just sent a text message to her boyfriend when her vehicle drifted off the right side of the roadway.” She then swerved to the left, overcorrecting and “causing her vehicle to swerve into the opposing lane, striking a south-bound vehicle” driven by Benjamin Grant, 20, of Mountain Ranch. The vehicles collided in the south-bound lane of Highway 49, north of Cosgrave Road, in Calaveras County. “Villalobos-Wilson was pronounced dead at the scene.”

Myers said: “We have also determined that Ms. Villalobos-Wilson was only wearing the automatic shoulder restraint belt.” The “lap belt portion was not used, which may have contributed in Ms. Villalobos-Wilson being partially ejected from her vehicle, resulting in fatal injuries.”

The crash was reported at 7:35 a.m. Monday, Feb. 28, and Grant and his passenger, Daniel Crane were both treated for minor injuries at Mark Twain Hospital.

Myers said the CHP “would like to remind everyone that they need to put down the phone, focus on driving, and always wear your seatbelt properly, otherwise it may cost you your life, or the life of someone else.”

Myers said: “Too many motorists are continuing to talk or text on the cell phone even though the law has been in effect since July 1, 2008.”

Lieutenant Tim Port said “driving in itself is multi-tasking, requiring a motorist’s full attention. Then you add a moment of inattention, such as looking at your cell phone, and consequences can be disastrous for a driver and those around them.”

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.