GILROY
– A three-car collision Friday afternoon caused southbound U.S.
101 traffic in Gilroy to come to a standstill for nearly half an
hour during the busy evening commute.
The accident involved three vehicles and resulted in injuries to
four people.
GILROY – A three-car collision Friday afternoon caused southbound U.S. 101 traffic in Gilroy to come to a standstill for nearly half an hour during the busy evening commute.
The accident involved three vehicles and resulted in injuries to four people.
All four of the victims were taken by ambulance to nearby Saint Louise Regional Hospital, and two were then airlifted to San Jose trauma centers to be treated for leg and internal injuries, according to the California Highway Patrol.
None of the injuries are believed to be life-threatening.
“(The victims) were all in very serious pain and shock,” said Anthony Akin, a member of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s San Benito County unit who saw the accident while he was driving on northbound U.S. 101 and was the first to respond. “It was obviously a high-impact collision.”
According to Akin, the accident occurred around 3 p.m. when traffic on southbound U.S. 101 slowed and a minivan carrying the four victims swerved to dodge a sport utility vehicle and collided with the back bumper of a Federal Express delivery truck.
All three lanes of U.S. 101 south of Leavesley Road were closed for nearly half an hour while paramedics treated the victims and California Highway Patrol officers worked to move the crumpled van from the middle lane of the freeway to the right-hand shoulder.
Authorities were able to open the left lane of southbound U.S. 101 after half an hour, but traffic was already backed up to Buena Vista Avenue. All three lanes did not open for another 45 minutes.
The California Highway Patrol could not be contacted this morning to obtain updated victim information.
