Local grad killed in traffic accident

A fatal reunion occurred Satur-day night when two former Granite Bay High School students were involved in a vehicle crash in Roseville. Kourtney Elizabeth Ketchersid, 20, of Granite Bay was rushed to Sutter Roseville Hospital where she was pronounced dead later that night. Joshua Douglas Bauser, also 20 and of Granite Bay, was taken into custody on suspicion of drunken driving. The case rem-ains under investigation. Bauser and Ketchersid were once schoolmates, their class photos just pages from each other in the 2000 yearbook. Ketchersid graduated from Granite Bay High in 2002. Bauser, who was a grade younger than Ketchersid, left Granite Bay High his sophomore year. It is unknown whether the two knew each other. According to Gunther, Ketcher-sid was stopped at a red light on East Roseville Parkway, preparing to turn left onto eastbound Douglas Boulevard, around 10:15 p.m. According to witnesses, when the light turned green and vehicles started to turn left, Bauser, who was traveling in the opposite direction, reportedly ran a red light and crashed into Ketchersid's car. Gunther said when officers approached Bauser at the scene of the accident they detected a moderate smell of alcohol and administered a DUI test. Gunther would not disclose Bauser's blood alcohol level, but said he qualified as a DUI driver and was charged with felony driving under the influence as well as charges for being under the legal drinking age. "The district attorney will evaluate the case and see if he will be charged with manslaughter or other charges," Gunther said. Friends and family members will remember Ketchersid as a caring young woman with a big heart. She was born on May 28, 1984 in Arlington, Texas to Mark and Laura Ketchersid. She was one of three children and is survived by sister Kimberly and brother Austin. Her funeral will be held at 10 a.m. today at Cordova Church of Christ in Rancho Cordova. In lieu of flowers, family members ask contributions be made to Mothers Against Drunk Driving or the Children's Fund at Cordova Church of Christ. Ketchersid will be buried at Lakeside Memorial Lawn in Folsom. Although this was the only fatality reported in Roseville Saturday, it was one of three DUI accidents that night. The first occurred at 1:07 p.m. on Vineyard Road near Atkinson Road when Gunther said a pickup turning west onto Vineyard from Denio's made too wide of a turn and clipped a minivan operated by a 34-year-old North Highlands woman. The pickup did not stop, and the driver of the minivan followed the pickup until it eventually stopped on Hickory Street, a residential neighborhood near the auction. No one was injured in the collision, but when officers responded, they arrested the driver of the pickup, Luis Martin Ibarra Esteves, 30, of Citrus Heights on suspicion of DUI, hit-and-run, and driving on a suspended license. He was booked into the Roseville Police Department Jail and released on $6,500 bail. A second crash was reported at 5:49 p.m. on Cirby Way at Rocky Ridge Drive. The driver of a 1963 Chevrolet Corvette is suspected of rear-ending a 2002 Mercury sedan. According to reports, the driver of the Mercury, a 38-year-old Folsom man, complained of pain, but declined medical attention, saying he would seek it on his own. The Corvette driver, Carolyn Suzanne Young, 48, of Roseville, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence causing injury and was booked into the Roseville Police Department Jail. She was released on a $15,000 bond.Drunken driving is a nationwide problem. With April being alcohol awareness week, Gunther said the Roseville Police Department is hosting their "Every 15 Minute" programs, an elaborate program designed to give high school students an interactive idea of the consequences of drinking alcohol and driving. These day-long events include a complex crash scene usually set up in front of campus, and the removal of a student from class every 15 minutes throughout the day. The California Highway Patrol and Placer County Sheriff's Departments are also involved in these events and say it seems to really affect the students in attendance. "It suddenly clicks in them that 'It's somebody I know, that's somebody that's dear to me and I don't want that to happen to me,' " said CHP Officer Kelly Baraga, who helped host the program at Oakmont High School last week.Jamie Trump can be reached at jamiet@goldcountrymedia.com.