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Lyft driver pleads not guilty in crash that killed 70-year-old in Tustin
Orange County Jul 23, 2021
|Photo courtesy of haggaret, Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)
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A 30-year-old Lyft driver pleaded not guilty Friday to causing a crash that killed a 70-year-old passenger in Tustin.
Andy Van Pham was charged July 16 with vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence, possession of drug paraphernalia, unlawfully providing false information to police, all misdemeanors, as well as an infraction for making an unsafe turn or lane change.
The fatal crash occurred about 7 a.m. April 4 near Jamboree Road and Patriot Way, according to Tustin police Lt. Stephanie Nichols.
Pham allegedly fell asleep behind the wheel and slammed his car into a light pole, Nichols said. The passenger was identified as 70-year-old Margie Quibol of Tustin, according to Todd Hylton of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
Pham was ordered to return to court Aug. 9 for a pretrial hearing in the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana.