Teen arrested in I-8 pedestrian fatality

SAN DIEGO (CNS) – An 18-year-old woman who allegedly got behind the
wheel after drinking alcohol was arrested in the wake of a weekend hit-and-run
accident that killed a pedestrian on Interstate 8 in the Ocean Beach area, a
California Highway Patrol spokesman reported Monday.

Nikolette Kristina Gallo of Rancho Penasquitos was arrested at her home
about noon Sunday, nearly eight hours after the fatal crash that occurred just
east of Nimitz Boulevard, CHP public-affairs Officer Art Athans said.

It was unclear why the victim, a 23-year-old Rancho Palos Verdes man
believed to have been attending college in San Diego, ventured onto the
shoulder of the interstate on foot.

“How the pedestrian got out there, we're not sure yet,” Athans said.

His name was being withheld pending family notification.

Gallo told investigators she had just dropped off a friend in the beach
area and was on her way home when she hit what she thought was a discarded sofa
alongside the eastbound side of the freeway shortly before 4:30 a.m., Athans
said.

The next morning, she saw news coverage of the pedestrian fatality and
told her father she feared she may have been the involved motorist, he said.
They contacted an attorney, who got in touch with the Highway Patrol and said
investigating officers could meet with his clients at the Gallo home, the
officer said.

There, they got a statement from the teenager, who allegedly admitted to
having consumed alcohol prior to the accident, and inspected her 2007 Toyota
Camry, which had significant front-end damage, according to Athans. She was
then arrested on suspicion of felony hit-and-run and driving under the
influence of alcohol.

A state “zero tolerance” DUI law makes it illegal for anyone younger
than 21 to drive with any alcohol in their system, as opposed to an amount in
excess of 0.08 percent, as is the case with motorists over that age, Athans
noted.