More than a year after he collided into a Caltrans work site,
killing a Gilroy man, Louis Estrada Vasquez continues to evade
arrest.
Gilroy – More than a year after he collided into a Caltrans work site, killing a Gilroy man, Louis Estrada Vasquez continues to evade arrest.
Investigators supplied a photo of Vasquez, 42, who is wanted for vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence. Vasquez, a tow truck driver then employed by Ponzini’s Community Garage in Morgan Hill, crashed into the highway work site, where Caltrans workers were repairing potholes April 4, 2006. Sean Merriman, 32, was trapped between two work trucks and died at the scene.
The San Jose California Highway Patrol is trying to locate Vasquez, who disappeared after the accident and is actively dodging police, the CHP said. CHP investigators said Vasquez apparently quit his job and became transient after the accident, describing him as “emotionally unstable.” He is believed to have previously lived in Morgan Hill.
The district attorney’s office charged Vasquez with vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence and speeding in September, issuing a $10,000 warrant for his arrest. Vasquez also is fighting civil charges from the Merriman family, which is suing Vasquez and Ponzini’s Community Garage for negligence. In response to the civil suit, Vasquez filed a cross-complaint against Caltrans in September, holding the agency liable for the crash. His attorney Eugene West dropped the complaint a few weeks later, without comment.
Anyone with information may contact CHP at 467-5400.
