The driver involved in an alleged DUI single-car crash that preceded the death of two Chico State students in January is awake and recovering.
The 18-year-old Chico State student, who was previously in a comatose state following the crash on Jan. 26, is undergoing a rehabilitation program to walk again, according to the Facebook support page “Prayer Chain For Diego.”
“As of now he still has the breathing tube in his throat but is making significant progress everyday,” wrote his sister Luz Arriaga-Rodriguez on a Facebook post Friday. “This rehab program will teach him how to walk again and help him with every day tasks that because of the brain injury he is unable to do. We were told that not very many people qualify for this program because doctors have to see that the patient is willing and capable enough to withstand the program since it is very intense.”
A recovery fund has been opened to help get Arriaga-Rodriguez to a new rehabilation facility, she wrote.
The California Highway Patrol has recommended that Arriaga-Rodriguez face charges for DUI vehicular manslaughter.
Mozes Zarate can be reached at [email protected] or @theorion_news on Twitter.