From Ed Fletcher and Kim Minugh:
Authorities believe alcohol and drugs may have contributed to a fatal crash Friday that left three women dead.
Just before 2 p.m., a woman driving a Honda CR-V westbound on Interstate 80 near Antelope Road glanced in her rearview mirror and noticed a car swiftly approaching.
The woman was unsuccessful in attempting to speed up to avoid the fast approaching 1987 Honda Accord, and the Accord clipped the left rear of her CR-V, according to the California Highway Patrol.
That sent the Accord careening from the outermost lane to the innermost lane and back before it left the roadway and struck a tree. Michael Neal, 51, of Sacramento was driving the Accord, CHP officials said.
Two female passengers in the back seat of the Accord were pronounced dead at the scene. Their names have not been released. A woman in the Accord passenger seat was taken to Mercy San Juan Medical Center, where she later died, Sacramento County coroner's officials report.
Neal is suspected of driving under the influence and driving with a suspended license, said Officer Lizz Dutton, CHP spokeswoman. He was taken to Sutter Roseville Medical Center with broken ribs and pelvic injuries, she said.
The CR-V's two occupants did not suffer any visible injuries but complained of pain, she said. All six people involved in the collision were wearing seat belts, Dutton said.
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