GILROY
– Esteban Hernandez-Santiago was the Gilroy pedestrian killed by
a drunk driver the morning of March 15, according to information
released Thursday afternoon by the county coroner’s office.
GILROY – Esteban Hernandez-Santiago was the Gilroy pedestrian killed by a drunk driver the morning of March 15, according to information released Thursday afternoon by the county coroner’s office.
The name was being withheld by the coroner until Hernandez-Santiago’s family could be contacted.
Not much is known about Hernandez-Santiago except that he was a 26-year-old Gilroy resident who was walking on 10th Street near Hanna Street when he was run over by a truck and killed.
“The cause of death was multiple blunt injuries,” said Cindy Rodriquez, a member of the Santa Clara County Coroner’s Office.
The driver of the vehicle that killed Hernandez-Santiago was Bradly Graham Whalen, 37, who was arrested for felony driving under the influence of alcohol at the scene of the accident. He could also be charged with gross vehicle manslaughter, according to court documents.
Whalen’s 1996 Chevrolet Silverado pickup collided with Hernandez-Santiago at approximately 1 a.m. Saturday. Hernandez-Santiago was then struck again by another vehicle, although that driver is not being charged with any crime, police said.
Hernandez-Santiago was pronounced dead on the scene of the accident when paramedics and police arrived. Whalen, who lives in the 7000 block of Mount Vernon Way, was transported to county jail in San Jose with a $20,000 bail following the incident. He has since been released on bail and has a court date set for 9 a.m. on April 1 at the South County Courthouse in San Martin.
Toxicology tests revealing if Hernandez-Santiago had any alcohol or drugs in his system will take to six to eight weeks to complete, according to the coroner’s office.
