Crime & Safety

Man Thrown From Car Is Hospitalized And In Critical Condition

Police say a drunken driver and his reckless friend spelled trouble when a "joyride" at the San Leandro Marina ended in a tragic accident.

 

One man is in critical condition Sunday night after he and a friend went on a "joyride" at the San Leandro Marina that ended in a terrible accident.

The name of the victim is being withheld but his friend, and the driver of the vehicle, 27-year-old Andre Morlino, has been arrested on the felony charge of causing an injury while driving under the influence.

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Here's how police described the incident.

At 2:56 pm Sunday officers responded to a 911 report that a man had been thrown from a vehicle in the parking lot of the and was lying on the pavement, unconscious.

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Police were told that the white Ford Mustang involved in the incident had fled the scene.

Officers had the unconscious victim taken to a hospital where he was listed in critical condition.

Morlino, the alleged driver of the Mustang, showed up at the hospital to check on the victim and was arrested.

Police say interviews with witnesses suggest that Morlino and the victim were friends.

According to police, while Morlino drove the Mustang through the parking lot in an erratic fashion, his friend sat on the passenger door, legs dangling inside the car, while his head and torso hung outside the vehicle.

At one point Morlino swerved and the passenger fell backwards out of the Mustang, and sustained head injuries in the process.

“This is a tragic incident," said San Leandro Police Department spokesman Lt. Rick DeCosta, who said the passenger placed himself in an unsafe position while Morlino drove "in a reckless manner."

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