According to a report by the California Highway Patrol, a multi-vehicle crash on Highway 17 in Los Gatos led to road closures that lasted for more than five hours on a recent Monday evening. While some victims suffered personal injury, one driver died at the crash scene. Authorities say 938 collisions happened on this highway in 2016, the highest in 13 years.
Reportedly, the accident occurred shortly after 6 p.m. in the northbound lanes when the 44-year-old driver of a pickup truck moved from the right to the left lane. For unknown reasons, he struck the center dividing wall and lost control of the vehicle. He apparently overcorrected, veering right and left again at which time his truck went through a gap in the wall, putting him in the southbound traffic lanes. The first collision occurred when his vehicle sideswiped another pickup truck.
CHP says this was followed by a head-on collision with a sedan, tearing the roof open and ejecting the driver. The pickup truck finally rolled over and came to a halt on the shoulder of the highway. The 19-year-old car driver was killed on impact, and her passenger — also 19 — was transported to a hospital along with the driver of the sedan that was struck head-on.
Crash investigators are still working on this accident. Those who suffered injuries are entitled to pursue claims for financial relief by filing personal injury lawsuits in a California civil court. Similarly, the surviving family members of the deceased driver can file a wrongful death lawsuit against the driver deemed responsible for this tragic accident. The support and guidance of an experienced personal injury attorney can significantly ease this complicated legal process.
Source: mercurynews.com, “San Jose woman killed in four-vehicle crash on Highway 17,” Jason Green, Oct. 10, 2017