Despite a lengthy search, California Highway Patrol officers have not been able to locate additional witnesses in the fatal three-car crash on San Francisquito Canyon Road in May, according to Officer Carlos Burgos-Lopez, a spokesman for the CHP Newhall-area Office.
There are no charges expected to be presented for consideration as a result of the investigation into the May 20 incident, he said in a phone interview Monday.
A Sheriff’s Department official Wednesday confirmed one of the injured parties in the crash filed a civil claim Aug. 1. A copy of the claim was not made immediately available.
The crash happened on a particularly winding stretch of San Francisquito, where Deputy Daniel Chavira was killed while heading home from the Pitchess Detention Center jail facility in Castaic, according to L.A. County Sheriff’s Department officials.
The speculation immediately after the crash, which followed months of concerns about high levels of mandatory overtime by deputies due to staffing shortages in the LASD, involved concern that Chavira may have fallen asleep behind the wheel due to exhaustion.
But in a search warrant filed two weeks after the crash, investigators shared statements they obtained that possibly contradicted that narrative, indicating there may have been another vehicle involved.
There were three parties involved in the crash, according to CHP Officer Josh DeMasters’ report: a blue 2006 Volkswagen Beetle, which was behind Chavira; Chavira’s 2022 black Honda Accord; and a 2012 black Nissan Frontier that collided with Chavira’s Accord.
DeMasters wanted to look at the electronic information in the systems of the other vehicles involved, but the results didn’t change the outcome.
“Preliminary investigation revealed the likely cause of the crash may have been fatigue,” DeMasters wrote to Judge Thomas Griego. “However, in light of new allegations made by witnesses, there may be other factors at play.”
The driver of the Frontier sustained major injuries, and “had no recollection of the incident due to her extent of injuries, and has since retained legal counsel,” according to a search warrant request. She had not made a statement as of the May 28 warrant.
In his statement, the driver of the Beetle indicated Chavira showed signs of exhaustion when the drivers approached the fire camp “and was weaving back and forth before weaving into southbound lanes, directly into the path of the Nissan Frontier.”
Another driver, who reportedly made statements indicating Chavira may not have been responsible, was never located.
The head-on collision spun Chavira’s Honda in a counter-clockwise direction, and it subsequently crashed into the Beetle, spinning Chavira’s Honda and leaving it facing an easterly direction, according to DeMasters’ report.
“CHP has no other witnesses of the actual crash, to date. However, while on scene, it was made known that three additional witnesses observed the driving mannerisms of the Honda and Nissan prior to the crash,” according to DeMasters’ investigation.
DeMasters mentioned Chavira’s long hours in his initial crash report.
The Chavira family has several members in the department — including Deputy Rene Valencia-Chavira, who works at the Lancaster Station; Rene’s wife, Deputy Crystal Valencia-Chavira, who works at San Fernando Superior Court; and his sister Detective Nancy Alcaraz and her husband, Deputy Martin Alcaraz, who both work at the Palmdale Sheriff’s Station.
