A TRUCK DRIVER believed to be under the influence was arrested Sunday after a fatal crash in Santa Ana (Shutterstock).

The driver of a truck that struck a palm tree and a pole – a crash in which a female passenger died – was arrested in Santa Ana early Sunday morning.

According to the SAPD, multiple calls were received around 2:08 a.m. regarding the collision in the area of 800 S. Main Street. 

Police officers and Orange County Fire Authority crews arrived at the scene and OCFA personnel extricated the male driver and a woman passenger in a front seat. All three occupants were  taken to a local hospital where the woman succumbed from her injuries. The driver and a male passenger in the back seat are hospitalized in stable condition.

The identities of those involved are not being made public at this time.

From the preliminary investigation, it’s believed that the truck was southbound on Main when it went out of control, hit a palm tree and came to a stop against a pole.

Detectives learned that the driver  – who had prior arrests for driving under the influence – was at the time of the crash under the influence of alcohol “and possibly drugs.”

He was arrested for driving under the influence causing death and vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, say police.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Detective Corporal D. Carrillo at (714) 245-8208 or the SAPD Traffic Division at (714) 245-8200.