Driver Involved in Fatal I-580 Collision in Court

A Livermore man involved in a fatal collision on I-580 on Dec. 12 will appear in court this morning in Pleasanton.

Primitino Garcia, 53, will be at the Gale Schenone Hall of Justice at 9 a.m. for an arraignment, according to court records. Garcia was arrested several hours after the fiery collision on suspicion of felony DUI and vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence.

[Related article: UPDATE: Driver Involved in Fatal I-580 Collision Arrested on Suspicion of Drunken Driving]

Livermore resident Reed Whittaker, 29, was killed in the collision after his Jeep Cherokee was struck from behind by Garcia's Hummer. According to CHP, the Jeep burst into flames that spread to the Hummer. Garcia and his passenger, a man in his 20s, were able to escape the collision wreckage with minor injuries. 

The collision shut down both directions of the I-580 in Livermore for several hours.
According to California Highway Patrol Officer Steve Creel, Garcia was arrested after he was treated at Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley. 

[Related article: Driver Killed in Fiery I-580 Collision Identified]

Garcia has been free on $125,000 bond after being booked into the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, according to court records. Meanwhile, those who knew Whittaker, who was an EMT and a supervisor for Royal Ambulance in San Leandro, have been mourning the loss of the 29-year-old described as "dedicated" and "likable."

[Related article: EMT Killed in I-580 Collision Remembered as 'Dedicated and Likable']

A memorial fund has been established for Whittaker's family. 

Related articles: 

• M.A.D.D. Calls I-580 Collision 'Stunning and Heartbreaking' and Says Drunken Driving Fatalities On the Rise