Corona Man Pleads Not Guilty in Death of Son in Car Accident

CORONA —  A 33-year-old Corona man pleaded not guilty Thursday to drunk driving and vehicular manslaughter charges stemming from an accident that caused the death of his infant son.

Rosario Castro was arrested Thursday morning and charged in connection with a May 4 roll-over accident that resulted in the death of his 4-month-old son, Eddie, and injured his wife, five of his children and himself.

Eddie Castro died of head injuries four days after the family’s pickup truck rolled into a drainage ditch alongside Chase Drive in Corona’s southeastern agricultural belt.

Eddie and two other children under the age of 4 were not riding in child-safety seats, Police Lt. Sam Spiegel said.

Rosario Castro’s blood-alcohol level was .14%, above the .10% level at which a driver is presumed drunk in California, Spiegel said. He was treated for scrapes at Riverside General Hospital, where four of his children, including Eddie, were admitted.

Cipriano, 3, suffered severe abrasions. Rosaria, 5, received cuts and scrapes and her 8-year-old sister, Carmen, suffered a concussion. All three have since been released.

The children’s 27-year-old mother, Leticia, and 7-year-old sister, Veronica, were treated for minor injuries at Circle City Hospital in Corona, Spiegel said. Natisia Castro, 1, was not injured in the accident.

Rosario Castro told police he had swerved to avoid an oncoming car that had crossed over the center line on Chase Drive. “There was nothing we found to substantiate that there was another vehicle involved,” Lt. Bob Martin said Thursday.

Castro was held on $5,000 bail at the Corona Police Department, but was to be transferred to Riverside County Jail following his arraignment.