May 19--A veteran soap opera actress, who recently returned to acting on "The Young and the Restless," was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of driving under the influence after she crashed head-on with another driver in Buellton, authorities said.
Jensen Buchanan, who stars as Judge Elise Moxley in the CBS soap, was driving on the eastbound lanes of Highway 154 west of Live Oak at 6:19 a.m. when she allowed her black Mercedes S550 to drift across the double yellow line, according to Officer John Ortega of the California Highway Patrol in Buellton.
Her Mercedes glided directly into the path of a white Ford C-Max hybrid car that was westbound on the highway.
The crash sent both the 53-year-old actress and the Ford driver, identified as Bradley Asolas, to an area hospital.
She suffered minor injuries. Asolas, 56, of Camarillo, was treated for major injuries, according to the CHP.
Buchanan, who lives in Los Angeles, was taken into custody on suspicion of DUI.
The actress has appeared in daytime soap operas for most of her acting career. She starred in "Another World," "As The World Turns," "General Hospital" and "One Life To Live."
Her acting earned her two Daytime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.
She recently returned to acting after taking a long break.
"Sometimes you need to take a break from something to really get your enthusiasm and excitement back, and it really gave me a great appreciation for how fun it is, how challenging it is," Buchanan told CBS.
veronica.rocha@latimes.com
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