An off-duty firefighter was the hero Sunday for a Hecker Pass
motorist and passenger whose vehicle went over the side of the
narrow winding mountain road Saturday night.
By ERIC LEINS
Staff Writer
GILROY – An off-duty firefighter was the hero Sunday for a Hecker Pass motorist and passenger whose vehicle went over the side of the narrow winding mountain road Saturday night.
While traveling eastbound on Highway 152 on his way into Gilroy Sunday around 8 a.m., Battalion Chief Derek Witmer saw fresh skid marks heading toward the side of the road. Witmer investigated and found a male driver stuck inside an overturned 1990 Honda sedan and a female passenger outside the car. The female victim could not climb the hill to find help due to injury.
Witmer called 911 and rescue crews spent the next hour leading driver Enrique Rodriguez of San Jose and his unnamed female passenger to safety. Fire engineer Jim Crawford described the victims as “both conscious and alert and cold with moderate injuries.”
The two were taken by ambulance to Mt. Madonna Park and then flown to Valley Medical Center in San Jose.
The California Highway Patrol report states that Rodriguez, 26, suffered a broken femur. The 23-year-old female passenger reported pain to her legs and chest.
The Sunday morning rescue was followed by another accident at noon, which injuredthree children ages 3 to 11 on Highway 152 in the Pacheco Pass. Juan Gomez of Madera was driving his family westbound in his 1982 Dodge Caravan when he stopped for traffic.
David Michaud of Morgan Hill failed to notice that traffic had slowed. Michaud hit his brakes and veered right to avoid collision, however the left rear side of his 2001 Ford F-150 slammed the rear of the Dodge Caravan.
Gomez’ 3-year-old daughter was closest to the impact, but was restrained by a child safety seat. The 3-year-old and Gomez’ 11-year-old son were flown to Valley Medical Center.
The three-year-old had a laceration to the face, the 11-year-old complained of pain in her abdomen. Gomez’s 9-year-old son had a contusion to his forehead and was taken by ambulance to Saint Louise Hospital in Gilroy. Gomez and Michaud had no reported injuries.
