A 39-year-old motorist died Sunday evening in a three-car
collision on Hecker Pass Highway west of Gilroy Gardens Family
Theme Park, according to the California Highway Patrol.
A 39-year-old motorist died Sunday evening in a three-car collision on Hecker Pass Highway west of Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park, according to the California Highway Patrol.
An official from the Santa Clara County Coroner’s office said Monday morning the victim’s identity had been confirmed but would not be released until next of kin were notified.
CHP Sgt. Adam Rodriguez said the accident occurred when the driver of a Ford F-250 pickup truck heading west near Whitehurst Road overcorrected after running off the roadway and collided with a Mazda sedan.
The pickup “pretty much ripped off all of the left side of the Mazda,” killing the driver of the sedan, Rodriguez said.
A Ford Fusion then came around a corner and collided with the pickup, Rodriguez said.
There were no other injuries, and the crash in under investigation, he said.
“Alcohol and drugs don’t have anything to do with this crash at all,” Rodriguez said. “Neither does cell phone use.”
The eastbound and westbound lanes of traffic were closed for nearly three hours Sunday, as drivers were diverted to U.S. Highway 129 at Watsonville Road, Rodriguez said.
The accident was called into dispatchers at 5:10 p.m., according to the CHP. The CHP reported the roadway reopened just before 8 p.m.
