An accident on U.S. 101 north of Morgan Hill Saturday morning
left one man dead and snarled traffic for more than three
hours.
An accident on U.S. 101 north of Morgan Hill Saturday morning left one man dead and snarled traffic for more than three hours.
“The incident actually involved two separate accidents,” CHP Officer Officer Brad Voyles said Monday. “The first one with two vehicles led to the second accident and the fatality.”
Christopher Willis, 32, of Baypoint, was pronounced dead at the scene.
After the initial accident, Willis’ Acura Integra stopped in a southbound traffic lane. While standing near his auto, Willis apparently was struck by two vehicles, Voyles said.
The first accident occurred at approximately 5:25am in the southbound lanes of U.S. 101 just north of Bailey Avenue when Tyrone Reid, 38, of East Palo Alto, apparently rear-ended Willis’ auto. Reid’s Mitsubishi Eclipse ended up on the road shoulder.
Approximately five minutes after the accident, Voyles said, Willis had stepped out of his vehicle and was standing by its rear when two vehicles approached the accident scene.
Jose Rivera, 31, of San Jose, was driving a Jeep Cherokee, and Antonio Regalado, 49, of Redwood City, was driving a Chevy pickup. Rivera apparently didn’t see Willis or the Integra and turned his vehicle “at the last minute,” striking both Willis and the Integra, Voyles said. The Cherokee stopped on the shoulder.
Regalado’s pickup, according to the report, rolled onto Willis after hitting the Integra.
Regalado, who was not seriously hurt, was taken by ambulance to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose with lacerations to his face and hands. Rivera and Reid were not injured.
“The Integra was hit three times,” Voyles said. “After the third impact, the pickup rolls over on Willis, who was hit twice. It is unclear which of these impacts may have caused his fatal injuries.”
Alcohol and drugs do not appear to be a factor in the accident, Voyles said.
Willis’ family has unanswered questions about the accident, Voyles said, such as why he was even in the area at the time. They told investigators Willis should have been heading north to his home in Marin County.
The investigation is continuing, Voyles said.
“The first accident was stabilized, and the second accident was caused by Mr. Rivera,” Voyles said. “He could have been going too fast for conditions, there could have been another car in front of him, which swerved to avoid Mr. Willis and his vehicle, and Rivera was following too closely to avoid them. Right now, we don’t know. We have a lot of work to do, a lot of follow-up.”
Marilyn Dubil covers education and law enforcement for The Times. She can be reached by e-mail at md****@mo*************.com or phoning (408) 779-4106, ext. 202
