Deceased Female In Sonora DUI Crash Involving Four Children Was Their Mother

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Sonora, CA – The CHP has confirmed to Clarke Broadcasting the name of the woman killed in a head-on DUI crash on Phoenix Lake Road in Sonora on Monday night, but the children’s names are still being withheld.

She is the 33-year-old Melissa Katherine Marie Patania. The woman’s mother, Robin Grove, contacted us to give an update on the four children who suffered serious injuries in the crash. Grove says Patania is the mother of five children including the four involved in the collision. The juveniles hurt include three boys ages 10, 7 and 6 and a 13-year old girl. Grove details that two of the children had surgery yesterday including the 6-year-old who has a fractured skull that is life-threatening. Groves says her three other grandchildren are expected to survive. She asks that the community pray for her grandchildren.

As reported here Tuesday, 19-year-old Augustus Matthew Marinovich was arrested for drunk driving and vehicular manslaughter after the crash that involved him losing control of his pickup and smashing head-on into Patania’s SUV, according to the CHP. First responders performed CPR on the mother, but she was pronounced at the scene. The four children and Marinovich were flown from the scene all suffering major injuries. There is no update on his condition.