Driver in Napa County triple fatal crash on Silverado Trail charged with felony manslaughter, DUI

By Carlos E. Castañeda

An American Canyon man was charged on Wednesday with manslaughter and driving under the influence following a weekend crash in Napa County that left three people dead and four others severely injured, prosecutors said.

The crash happened at about noon on Saturday on the Silverado Trail just north of Napa and east of Yountville. The California Highway Patrol said a Mitsubishi sedan heading south sideswiped a BMW SUV heading north and then collided head-on with a Toyota sedan that was behind the BMW. 

A passenger in the Mitsubishi died at the scene, while a second passenger died at a hospital. Four people in the Toyota suffered major injuries, and one of the passengers also died at the hospital. The driver of the Mitsubishi, identified as 68-year-old William Dene Brumley, was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, and he was arrested on suspicion of DUI.

On Wednesday, the Napa County District Attorney’s Office said Brumley was charged with three felony counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and felony driving under the influence of a drug. 

The DA’s Office identified the three deceased victims as Vivian Bertolino, 65, of Napa; Linda Wolters, 62, of American Canyon; and Katrina Clarke, 65, of Sacramento. A total of six people were injured, including Brumley, the office said.

According to the DA’s press release, Brumley also faces additional allegations that the crimes “involved great bodily injury and violence, cruelty, viciousness, or callousness; resulted in bodily injury to more than one victim; demonstrate an increasing level of seriousness compared to previous crimes; and that the defendant has had prior poor performance on probation or parole.”

Brumley was scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday afternoon in Napa County Superior Court.