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Motorcyclist seriously hurt in alcohol-related crash
Sunday, July 22, 2007
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A night of drinking landed one Napa man in jail early Saturday morning and another in the hospital with major head injuries. California Highway Patrol officers say that alcohol was a factor in the accident that sent two men to the hospital, and later one of them to jail.

Benjamin Marshall Fadden, 21, of Napa, was driving south on Highway 29, north of Oak Knoll Avenue, at 1:50 a.m., in a Honda Civic when he made an unsafe lane change and collided with Matthew McDonald, 36, of Napa, who was driving south in a Harley Davidson motorcycle CHP Sgt. Joe McDermott said.
“The investigation determined because of Fadden’s level of intoxication, he didn’t see McDonald after he moved into the lane,” McDermott said.

After hitting the rear of the motorcycle, Fadden ran into the center divider and rolled his car over several times, coming to rest in a chain-link fence on the north shoulder of the highway, McDermott said.
McDonald was ejected from the motorcycle and came to rest in the center divider along with his bike McDermott said. Although McDonald was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, it was not a Department of Motor Vehicles-approved helmet, McDermott said.

McDonald suffered major head injuries and was airlifted to John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek. Fadden sustained moderate cuts and was taken to Queen of the Valley Medical Center and later arrested on suspicion of felony DUI causing injury to others.
4 comment(s)

JMJ wrote on Jul 23, 2007 1:04 AM:

" A peddler of death? They both made a mistake. . . just as we all do. We need to keep them in our prayers not condemn them for being human. "

mistake? wrote on Jul 24, 2007 8:40 PM:

" What mistake did the Biker make?... other than being next to the car at the wrong time? aside from wearing a crummy helmet, that is.. This is two Bikers who've been nearly killed by drunken Car operators, and the title of this article slants the wrong way. "

Brian wrote on Jul 24, 2007 10:03 PM:

" To JMJ, How can you say Fadden made a mistake. the choice to drink and drive was his. there was no mistake in that. Then he goes a seriously injures another person. I hope he gets some jail time for his actions. "

I believe... wrote on Jul 26, 2007 1:09 AM:

" the peddler of death comment was for a drug arrest in another story. Somehow his comment got to the wrong article... "

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