A 64-year-old Morgan Hill man was killed Tuesday evening when an
alleged drunk driver heading the wrong way plowed into his
motorcycle, sending him flying into the windshield of another
car.
Morgan Hill – A 64-year-old Morgan Hill man was killed Tuesday evening when an alleged drunk driver heading the wrong way plowed into his motorcycle, sending him flying into the windshield of another car.
Douglas Wollaston was pronounced dead at the scene of the 7:38pm accident.
Juan Mendez Martinez, 20, of San Jose, was booked into Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, felony drunken driving and driving without a license. Police say his blood alcohol level was three times the legal limit.
The accident occurred at the intersection of De Paul Drive and Cochrane Road in north Morgan Hill.
Martinez, driving a Pontiac Grand Am, was driving westbound in the eastbound lane of Cochrane Road approaching the east side of the intersection. Wollaston had just cleared the intersection when Martinez, driving at least 50mph, according to police, slammed into him.
Wollaston flew forward into the windshield of the Grand Am, bouncing off of it, flying backward into a Mercedes that was traveling behind his motorcycle, before landing in the eastbound lanes of traffic.
After striking Wollaston, the Grand Am continued forward until striking the third vehicle in the accident, a Chevy HHR.
“It appears Wollaston died from blunt force trauma injury, but we won’t know for sure until after the autopsy,” said Morgan Hill police Cmdr. Joe Sampson. “We do know that his helmet flew off during the accident.”
Martinez received minor injuries in the crash and was transported to San Jose Regional Medical Center in an ambulance to be treated and released before he was booked into jail.
The driver of the Chevy HR was slightly injured, but was extremely distraught, according to Sampson and was transported to Saint Louise Regional Center by ambulance.
A police chaplain was summoned to the scene and another chaplain accompanied the driver of the HR to the hospital.
Sampson said it is likely that Martinez never saw Wollaston. It’s unclear whether he had his headlights on. There was no visible skid marks at the scene.
The intersection and approximately 50 feet west of the site crash were littered with pieces of glass, metal and motorcycle parts. The Mercedes, after Wollaston landed on the windshield, had apparently swerved left in an attempt to avoid him. The car traveled through the center median knocking down a sign and coming to rest partly in the westbound lanes of traffic.
Additional officers were called in to deal with traffic and assist in the investigation. The entire intersection was closed to traffic for more than four hours, as officers considered the site a crime scene.
