Fatal wrong-way car vs. ATV claims life of Antioch man, injures passenger Saturday night
Sunday, July 9th, 2023
19-year-old driver arrested after she and passengers left the scene, police say alcohol is suspected factor; bail set at $100K; victim ID’d
By Allen D. Payton
A car being driven the wrong way on Deer Valley Road struck an off-road all-terrain vehicle (ATV) taking the life of the male driver Saturday night, July 8, 2023. A witness said the car was driving the wrong direction in the fast southbound lane when it struck the ATV. The incident occurred between Wildflower Drive and Carpinteria Drive shortly before 9:30 p.m.
The driver of the ATV, a 51-year-old African American man, was ejected and landed about 100 feet from his vehicle. His body was down in the southbound fast lane. When emergency personnel from Con Fire and the Antioch Police Department arrived, they ran to him and administered CPR.
A police officer later reported that the man was driving without lights or a helmet at the time of the collision and died at the scene.
The driver of the car left the scene, one witness said. She said she and her husband were at the stoplight at the Carpinteria Drive intersection in the inside northbound lane of Deer Valley Road and saw the car turn into the southbound fast lane and driving the wrong way on Deer Valley Road. They witnessed the collision and heard the impact.
At least one passenger was still in the back seat of the car when officers arrived and could be seen speaking with an officer.
Another witness said there were four females in the car and heard them say “we gotta get out of here”. An officer at the scene said one passenger was transported to the hospital and the other three in the car had been detained.
Assistant Chief Chris Bachman confirmed “it was only one person transported to the hospital.”
Members of the deceased man’s family, who live nearby, arrived at the scene soon after, were seeking information about the collision, and learned he had passed.
Con Fire then used a saw to cut the hood of the car and pried it back and smoke could be scene emanating from the engine.
Later, the females from the car and others could be seen speaking with officers in the parking lot of nearby businesses and one of them could be seen and heard crying. Another of the females could be heard asking why she was included and saying, “I didn’t do anything.”
A few minutes later, three of the females, later identified as the driver and two passengers of the car, could be seen getting into the back of two police vehicles which then drove away.
Traffic was blocked on Deer Valley Road in both directions between Carpinteria and Wildflower.
Antioch Police Provide Additional Details, Identify Victim
A press release by Sgt Rob Green of the Antioch Police Field Services Division was issued Sunday morning providing more details:
On July 8th, 2023, at about 9:27 PM, the Antioch Police Department Communications Center received calls of a two-vehicle head on collision in the area of Deer Valley Road and Wildflower Drive. Officers determined a vehicle driven by 19-year-old Tatiana Monet Bartlow (born 10-20-2003) drove the wrong way, northbound in the southbound lane of Deer Valley Road where she collided head on with a quad ATV driven by 51-year-old Jerry Hill. The impact caused Hill to be ejected from the ATV. Hill succumbed on scene to his injuries.
A 20-year-old female passenger in Bartlow’s vehicle sustained a head injury and was transported to an area hospital for treatment. Bartlow left the scene with two other passengers from the vehicle and was followed by witnesses who got the attention of arriving officers. Officers detained Bartlow and the two passengers a short distance away and was later transported to the Antioch Police Station.
APD Major Accident Investigation Team assumed control of the investigation. Alcohol is a suspected factor in this collision and Bartlow was arrested and sent to county jail. This investigation is ongoing, and we ask anyone with information to contact Sergeant Rob Green at 925-779-6864 or rgreen@antiochca.gov. You may also text an anonymous tip to 274637 (CRIMES) using the keyword ANTIOCH.
According to the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Inmate Locator, Bartlow’s bail was set at $100,000.
