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Passenger killed in DUI rollover crash, driver arrested [updated]

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The front passenger was ejected when the vehicle overturned, and he was trapped underneath the vehicle when officers arrived, according to the California Highway Patrol. [Photo by LUIS MEZA]
The front passenger was ejected when the vehicle overturned, and he was trapped underneath the vehicle when officers arrived, according to the California Highway Patrol. [Photo by LUIS MEZA]
A passenger was ejected and killed when a car careened off the road and overturned in a dirt field Thursday afternoon, authorities said.

The crash occurred around 1:10 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, on Avenue A, just west of SR-14, CHP officials said. [LUIS MEZA]
The crash occurred around 1:10 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, on Avenue A, just west of SR-14, CHP officials said. [LUIS MEZA]
The driver, 26-year-old Desiray Tona of Lancaster, was arrested in connection with the crash, which occurred around 1:10 p.m. on Avenue A, just west of the Antelope Valley (14) Freeway, according to a California Highway Patrol report.

Tona was driving a 1998 Ford Mustang westbound on Avenue A, at about 65 miles per hour, when she “allowed her vehicle to travel off the right side of the roadway and onto the dirt shoulder,” the CHP report states.

“The driver subsequently lost control of her vehicle… she traversed across the oncoming traffic lane before traveling out of control into a dirt field located along the south roadway edge,” the CHP report states.

“During the overturn sequence, the right front passenger was ejected and the involved vehicle came to rest on the passenger,” the CHP report states.

The passenger, a 28-year-old Palmdale man, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the CHP report. His name is being withheld pending next of kin notification, coroner’s officials said Thursday night. The driver sustained minor injuries in the crash, according to the CHP report.

“Upon further investigation, the driver was arrested for suspicion of DUI and was booked into the Lancaster jail for vehicular manslaughter and DUI,” the CHP report states.

Desiray Tona remains jailed in lieu of $100,000 bail, according to LASD inmate records.

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UPDATED 11.22.15: The deceased has been identified as Casey Shawn Eutsler, 28, of Palmdale, according to the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office.

Filed Under: Crime/ Safety

75 comments for "Passenger killed in DUI rollover crash, driver arrested [updated]"

  1. People fly down Avenue A and kids street race all the time, but CHP is too busy to send an officer out when area residents call to complain. Nice to see CHP is resolving the problem by ticketing morning commuters this morning……

    • Our son and his wife live just off Ave. A and travel that road almost every day to work.The day of the accident my son and wife were taking their newborn son to the doctors. They drove passed the accident after emergency showed up. What scares me is what if.. what if they had been going down Ave. A a little sooner and the drunk driver had swerved into them? my family would be the victims also. Do people not understand that drunk driving can involve many innocent people not just those in your car. Your decisions dont always affect you alone. The dicision these 2 adults made have now affected many including their parents and children. Thank God my family was running a little late. So sorry. RIP.

  2. Ok so on her FB page Desiray, has postings thanking the deceased Mr. Casey, for providing food for her and her child and the good times and being there for her. But on here there is another woman by the name of Susie, who is claiming to be the deceased widow? WoW!! Only in the AV I guess?

      • Thank you beth. But u have no idea wat your talking about . desiray was an alcoholic and a heroine user obviously…. Kc was her friend. He loved all of his friends.
        That was kind of his thing. Desiray used him for his kindness and transportation. She got to drive his car and and had someone to get drunk with. Kc was in love with his wife. They are not going through a divorce. Cool story though. Funny how much people think they know. Keep all yout speculation to urself. How about we all shut up and start respecting all the parties involved and stop being so dang nosey.

    • Seriously, Get a life. People have their own relationship problems and ups and downs. It’s really none of your business. A man is dead. Why do you care so much what his situation was, with his widow? The comments section of this article has absolutely disgusted me.

  3. I respectfully ask that everybody quit judging my sister. This accident was exactly what it is an Accident . Tragic as it may be none of you have the right to judge anybody. None of you were there and none of you know exactly what happened. My heart and prayers go out to Casey’s family. We are all very sorry for your loss

    • Accident implies through no fault of one’s own, this was a tragic mistake made by someone through their own choice. Let’s play russian roulette then when someone blows their head off let’s call it an accident, cool story, bro.

  4. I respectfully ask that everybody quit judging my sister. This accident was exactly what it is an Accident . Tragic as it may be none of you have the right to judge anybody.

    • IN THIS CASE, IT’S NOT JUDGING, ITS A FACT THAT SHE WAS DRUNK. DRUNK DRIVING IS ILLEGAL AND EVERYONE KNOWS IT. SO NO ONE IS JUDGING, THEY ARE STATING THE OBVIOUS. I DONT KNOW THE DRIVER NOR THE PASSENGER, BUT THE IDEA COMES THAT THE DRIVER WAS DRUNK. TOOK A LIFE BECAUSE OF IT. THE PASSENGER GOT INTO THE VEHICLE WITH A DRUNK DRIVER AND LOST HIS LIFE. NO JUDGING… SIMPLY FACTS AND THE TRUTH. PERIOD. U Drink, U Drive, U Lose.

  5. If the passenger was married & not to the driver, what were they doing together? Drinking in the afternoon?

  6. The presence of alcohol is not definite proof of causation. They could have been arguing and the male passenger reached over and yanked the steering wheel because he was angry. Of course, common sense, rational argument doesn’t have any merit during hysterical screaming and scapegoating sessions.

  7. And they weren’t 18 they were 25 and 28? Around that time your frontal lobe ls developed to make proper decisions….

    • yeah well your frontal lobe cant develop fully if you’ve been destroying your brains with drugs for the last decade

  8. Drunk at 1 o clock in the afternoon? Come one we all partied and drank but at 1 in the morning but 1 in the afternoon is time to be at home making your kids lunch come on……..

  9. Really sad news. We weren’t in contact, but he was one of the best friends I ever had. This is truly a sad day. My heart goes out to his family. Ive known them for 15 years. There was a time when I practically lived at their house. I just can’t believe it.

  10. It’s sad to wake up to a story like this….I read this this morning before leaving for work….they were friends of a close friend of mine and I only knew her through friends but it’s still hits close to home…my condolences go out to the families involved…and I understand that Casey’s family and close friends are angry and inconsolable but we all make our own choices…some good some bad….and it’s obvious this wasn’t the first time and assumed it wouldn’t be the last that they’d simply get in the car even though they were intoxicated and made the decision to take a drive to do whatever it was they were going to do…it’s sad that people turned to Facebook to find out about Desiray and use the foolish MEMES that were posted to judge a her…I had to see for myself and sone people take things too serious ..those eere MEMES meat to be relatively funny…she may be all you say she is but her friend must have had the same issues if they were hanging out together… someone past away in a terrible accident in which the driver can’t take all the blame….they both made the decision to get in the car…

  12. RIP Casey….you spent many hours at my house with my son while you were in high school. My heart is broken for you and your family..

  13. She was screaming for him in the er. She is in womans facility. She knows she murdered him. Desirea drove the car. Shes a murderer. Hope u love urself tweakie tona. Ur a loser and ud rather get high than be a mother. Luckily ur mother takes care of ur kids u piece of trash.

    • He chose to get in the car and he chose not to wear a seat belt he also chose to give her the keys and he probably payed for the drinks they both didn’t think they both made bad decisions that could have been prevented now one is dead and the other has to live with it for the rest of her life. People like you make me sick

        • Because he made no choice to hand her those keys and ask her to drive…. because the both of them have not been drinking and driving for the past few weeks almost non stop right? He had no hand in his own undoing right? Sorry for the loss of your ex, I really am. But both parties were at fault here not just one. Deny it all you want, that is part of the grieving process. But dont be hurtful to others in the process. A lot of people are grieving right now. After all is said and done none of this petty [removed] matters. THE KIDS are paying the ultimate price for these two making such horrible choices.

        • Then why weren’t with him I mean u say your his wife..maybe if u had a good marriage he would still b here…for some reason he was spending time with Desiray drowning is sorrow could it of been because he was soooo happy with his wife???? DON’T THINK SO!!! What a good wife

  14. Her friend made the decision to ride along. They were on a party mission, I’ve been on many myself. People know what they are doing when they jump into that car. I’d bet 95% of the people posting here have done the same thing; jumping in the car so your homey can give you a ride home from the bar or party.

  15. [removed] desiray. Shes been a [removed] up for years and has always partied n not given a [removed]. She drove. He can give her the keys. She drove. She crashed. She killed him. She didnt have to drive she coulda said no. But now she will be marred a murderer. Because she is a murderer. Today is his sons birthday. i hope she rememebers everyday for the rest of her life. I hope she sees his eyes when he no doubt over corrected and tried to not die. Shes a murderer. Sorry. Her family can pray for her. She lost custody of her own child because shes a [removed] up. If shes ever free she will never even rememer she will drive again. Shes a [removed] up. I hope prison gives her the chance to fix herself. But reality of drug addicts live for drugs u may just die for them. [removed] u desiray. U [removed].

  16. Its funny that Every time a DUI death occurs, you have those that condemn, those that excuse, and those that say, “Be Nice”!

    Let’s face it. Since childhood, your mother taught you right from wrong. It probably started when you took a candy from the grocery store and she smacked your hand. Everyone learns at an early age, right from wrong! We are only left with, ” She freakin knew not to Drink and drive”! Period!
    People are tired of the excuses, “She made a mistake”! B.S. She made a conscious choice and will now pay the price. When your a bum with nothing, you have nothing to worry about but yourself. When your a mother, you have responsibilities that won’t forgive stupidity! That’s why people bash her on here. Their tired of stupidity and excuses! The world doesnt revolve around you. What if an innocent motorist was in the mix? You drank and drove and put us all at risk. You DESERVE to be slammed! Sorry that most of you don’t want to hear that, but that’s how it is!

  17. Funny how this tweakers friends gets on f b n says none of its desirays fault n that it was a mistake and shortly after all the posts r deleted on desirays f b that was about beer n laughing about dui’S and drunk driving good thing I screenshotted each one before it was deleted that was my cousins husband that died n yea they r adults n made a decision to drink n drive but this girl obviously had no care in the world about losing her life she made a mockery of drunk driving n then killed someone people think deleting the evidence on her f b will help but that’s why we got these smart phones that screenshot now a days

      • I’m sure the open containers in the car n the meth n alcohol in her system is enough evidence for punishment

      • In legal court, I agree. But as we see so often around here, the Court of Public Opinion allows pure speculation, screenshots, and memes.

        • True, but the court of public opinion does allow for “I do not give a rap about public opinion,” followed by advice on places to stick screenshots, memes, and pure speculation. When a court of law comes into play, very few people can be bothered with public opinion.

    • They were BOTH drinking and driving that day. He gave her the keys and told her to drive, and she chose to. Seeing as how the two were childhood friends and were dating she will pay for her decision for the rest of her life. Both families and both children will live with it for their life. Screenshots mean nothing, i post memes about slapping people, does not mean that would help the state if I was arrested for something…… but by all means screenshot away!! Its petty but children will do what they do I suppose.

      • Driving to prolly pick up a dope sack atleast she will get sober in jail this is a life lesson for her hopefully she gets it right

    • Also, you need to learn reading comprehension…. no where does her friend say none of it is Desirays fault.

  18. I worked with Casey, He is the one who lost his life. He had a lot of stuff going on in his
    life that made me sad. so Casey RIP. and my prayers got out to his family.

  19. So happy that at least her kid/s were not in the car. She obviously does not have her priorities straight. Although she did not set out to have this outcome she knew that this was a possibility and did nothing to change it. How do you explain your actions now?

    • her parents are my neighbors…i seen her and casey yesterday..though its usally a hi bye thing..her son is w her parents……good thing he wasnt with her….prayers go out to him and caseys family as well

    • I thought someone must have been running from the cops because of so many police cars there. I was going to be late and was upset because of the road block. I turned around and went back up to 60th. I didn’t know a precious young life had been lost there. I had taken some pictures with my i pad of the scene, but thought they caught whoever was running from them. My prayers go out to all involved.

      Respectfully Roger

  21. She may get 8 years and will be out in 4. Whatever time she gets will be 1/2 time or less. That’s not enough when a life is lost. Since she won’t get much time you all better hope she changes her ways or you could be the next victim.

  22. Her facebook is full of alcohol related posts. Ironically, and sadly, opne was of a DUI checkpoint where she advocated turning around and made a joke about it. Guess the joke is on you now. Too bad your kids are the ones that suffer, you can think of them while you spend ten in prison. Maybe your friends will learn from this, then again, it’s likely they won’t.

    • He has e her his keys he didn’t wear a seatbelt both of them made bad decisions one paid mentally the other paid with there life now stop assuming it’s just one person’s fault they both made a stupid decision

      • he chose to get in car and not wear seatbelt…she chose to drive it a 50 50 thing ..we all make mistakes..and she has to live w guilt for ever..both being punished..one worse than other..had he wore seatbelt migh b diff outcome

          • mapretite – Accident is by implication a result of something occurring through no fault of your own, you obviously cannot comprehend the difference between accident and ill advised, poorly thought out mistake.

          • I’m a 10 year sober meth addict. This was pure negligence. No mistake no accident. There is only ONE inevitable outcome when one drinks and drives. Add meth!!!??? Omg. Prayers to both families.

    • The difference between accident and mistake is that accident is an unexpected event with negative consequences occurring without the intention of the one suffering the consequences while mistake is an error; a blunder. They had an error in cognitive thinking due to major alcohol consumption and other factors. You clearly can not comprehend the difference.

        • Hey, SamSativa, please just STFU. INEVITABLE outcomes? Premeditated murder? For one, most car accidents involve sober drivers, and most people who drink also do not get into accidents. It’s called common sense and statistics. Maybe you should start back on the meth, you’re already hysterical as it is, it’ll probably help you.

        • Sam….. You seem not to understand what I am even talking about. For one it’s not premeditated murder. Another, why are you point out that that is why you don’t drink and drive? Where in anything I have said have I said that it was ok to drink and drive?

  23. State Prison welcomes you! Facebook shows it’s all about the partying, lowlife. How’s that party life now.

  24. I’m hurt by some of these words people are saying. Casey was her boyfriend. A person she loved. I know she is hurting right now. Yes what she did caused a lot of pain for many people. Including her own family. But that doesn’t mean she’s racist. She’s far from being one. Just because she associated herself with those people in high school means nothing. I went to high school with both of them. and continued to grow up with them both after graduation. They both had problems. Nothing anyone says will bring Casey back into our lives. And nothing with give her son back a mother. And a father back to his son. So please. Be mindful to those of us who are mourning and grieving. This wasn’t anyone’s intentions.

  25. Hello people stop guessing and making rude remarks maybe it was a DUI but someone lost a life someone is going to jail and now she has to deal with the pain she killed her bf do you know how hard that is its hard so stop judgment no ones perfect and I bet you do dumb [removed] all the time its always the one on here always the one who passes blame STOP try PRAYING people for the loss of him and pray for he’s family and pray for her pray that GOD helps her find her way

    • She CHOSE to drink she CHOSE to drive, We can judge that she is incapable of making a good decision, and this is not a mistake.

  26. So sad… Prays for the families involved and prays for the two who were in the car. Rip and I pray she will eventually find peace and be able to work through the heartache that was caused. If you are family or friends and are reading this my condolences go out to you.

  27. Ironically her page has a DUI post and she recently posted something like, “Imagine dying and your family goes through your phone”

    Incredibly sad loss for the victim and for the children. Everyone makes mistakes and if you haven’t yet you will. Patients today are mourning the loss of their son, and Desiray”s kids will mourn her loss – not a single winner in the situation. The victim knows too well the importance of not getting into a vehicle with someone who has been drinking and Desiray know better than to get behind the wheel while intoxicated.- these were not teenagers. My heart goes out to EVERYONE INVOLVED – ESPECIALLY THE CHILDREN.:_
    I sometimes wonder if a person is better off dying in the crash than to have to fave the judicial system and prison :_ A total loss all the way around. I wish Desiray the best as she faces trial and I pray for the family who lost their loved one to have strength during this very touch time

    • The judicial system is unfair . It’s all up to what judge you get . My son got 9 years at 85% so he does 85% of the 9 years . He should have done 4. Like I said it’s up to the judge.

  28. I guess when it comes time to decide whether she gets three or seven years in jail, the DA only has to look at her FB page. Her life looks like it was all about Beer..?

  30. What kind of DUI? Did they find one Vicodin in her pocket and automatically decide that’s what caused this accident? We know how they LOVE to hype the DUI BS. How do you know when the government is lying? Trick question-the government is always lying.

    • Alcohol ……. the passenger and her had been drinking since early that morning…. has nothing to do with the government