Coroner Identifies Driver Killed In Walnut Creek Crash

WALNUT CREEK, CA — A young woman from Pittsburg was identified by the Contra Costa County coroner's office as the driver who died Thursday in a Walnut Creek crash.

Saniya Banga, 18, died just after 1 a.m. when her car crashed into a power pole on Ygnacio Valley Road between Civic Drive and North Broadway. She was ejected from the vehicle.

Banga was pronounced dead at the scene.

A male passenger in the car suffered serious injuries but was expected to survive, Walnut Creek police said.

The crash caused a power outage but PG&E crews responded and were able to restore power quickly, police said.

The two were driving from Pittsburg to Danville, police said, and traveling between 60 and 80 miles per hour at the time of the crash, according to a news report. The car drove over a median before it slammed into the power pole and then a tree. At the scene, a black car was found flipped upside down with severe damage.

Police believe alcohol was a factor in the fatal collision, according to the report.

Bay City News Service contributed to this report.