Golden Valley Man Involved in Deadly Car Accident

, a 20-year-old woman was killed Tuesday morning when a van carrying four members of The Eric Gales Band hit her sedan.

Eric Gales is a well known blues musician, and the California Highway Patrol reports that he currently lives here in Golden Valley.  Gales' Facebook page says he lives in St. Paul.

Police say the woman, Kimberly Augusto, crashed into the center median before being hit by the van just after 1 pm Tuesday near Navato, about 30 miles north of San Francisco.

The four occupants of the van were treated and released at the scene, and police identified them as 36-year-old Gales; Raymond Freeman, 46, of Venice. Fla.; Hubert Crawford, 52, of Memphis, Tenn.; and Paul Taylor, 37, of Memphis.

Following the initial investigation, patrolmen later said the sedan drifted out of the fast lane toward the median, veered right and struck the guardrail on the slow lane side of Highway 101. The car spun clockwise and stopped crosswise across both lanes. The van, traveling at 65-70 mph, approached and attempted to avoid the stopped sedan by breaking hard and veering left, but it struck the car squarely and both vehicles skidded to a stop along the center divide, the report said.

The California Highway Patrol is investigating the crash and said alcohol does not appear to be a factor.

Eric Gales is a blues musician originally from Memphis and has played with the likes of B.B. King and Stevie Ray Vaughn.  He is known to play at clubs around the Twin Cities both with his band and by himself.