Temecula Woman Hospitalized in Drunken Crash Identified

A 19-year-old Temecula woman left with brain injuries after an alcohol-fueled crash was identified.

Heidi Wise was allegedly rear-ended by Rancho Bernardo resident Brian Larose, 38.

The crash happened on Aug. 20 on Bernardo Center Drive near Maturin Drive.

Wise was in the left turn lane when Larose—traveling 60 mph in a 35-40 mph zone according to a witness—rear-ended her vehicle.

Larose's blood-alcohol level was .36 percent—more than four times the legal limit for driving—about an hour and 15 minutes after the crash, the prosecutor said.

Larose admitted to having 10 drinks, first at a pub and then at a restaurant, before the crash, Konstanzer said. Family members said Larose was supposed to be at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting that night, she said.

Wise, who spent her 19th birthday in the hospital, suffered head trauma and has a broken rib and fractured vertebrae in her back, Konstanzer said. The Temecula woman also has memory loss, and doctors don't know if she'll fully recover, the prosecutor said.

Larose faces charges of drunken driving causing injury and driving with a blood-alcohol level of .08 percent or higher.

The defendant was freed on $100,000 bail and faces six years if convicted. A readiness conference has been scheduled for Sept. 9, and a preliminary hearing is set for Sept. 13.

City News Service contributed to this report.