Jamestown, CA…On March 17, 2017 at approximately 8:50 pm, Michael Louis Oconnell was driving a black 2014 BMW X1crossover, eastbound on State Route 108, approaching Toban Way. Oconnell failed to negotiate a curve in the road and ran off of the roadway.

Oconnell’s vehicle struck a tree with so much force that it pinned him in the driver’s seat. A tow truck was used to move the vehicle away from the tree before emergency personnel were able to extricate Oconnell out of the vehicle. Oconnell was subsequently flown to Doctor’s Medical Center in Modesto with major injuries. Drugs or alcohol are not suspected and Oconnell was wearing a seat belt.

On an unrelated matter, Sonora CHP made one DUI arrest during the St Patrick’s Day weekend. 25 year old Lonnie Bernard Geraci from Modesto was arrested on March 18, 2017 on suspicion of Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol. Geraci was booked in the Tuolumne County Jail without further incident.