Gilroy
– A Gilroy man died Thursday evening after crashing his pick-up
truck into the rear end of a big rig on U.S. Highway 101 near the
Tenth Street exit.
Luis Masoni, 80, was pronounced dead at the scene of the
accident, on southbound 101 just north of the exit ramp, at 5:05pm,
according to the California Highway Patrol.
By Lori Stuenkel
Gilroy – A Gilroy man died Thursday evening after crashing his pick-up truck into the rear end of a big rig on U.S. Highway 101 near the Tenth Street exit.
Luis Masoni, 80, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, on southbound 101 just north of the exit ramp, at 5:05pm, according to the California Highway Patrol.
With his 80-year-old wife Virginia Masoni in the passenger seat, Masoni was driving behind the big rig – driven by Justin Amorose, 40, of Daily City – in the third lane from the left. The fourth lane on their right-hand side is a collector lane for the upcoming off-ramp. The commute was heavy and traffic was stop-and-go at the time, said CHP Officer Matt Ramirez.
“If you’re familiar with that area, it kind of stops up right there where people are trying to exit at Tenth Street to get to Highway 152,” Ramirez said.
Amorose said he was traveling at 2 mph, given the traffic ahead. The CHP reported that Masoni was approaching the big rig in a 1999 Dodge pick-up at an estimated 55 to 60mph. When he saw that the big rig was moving slowly, he attempted to merge right into the exit lane, but did not turn in time.
“He tried to apply the brakes, but at that point, hit the trailer at and angle, so the majority of the energy was on the drivers-hand side,” Ramirez said.
The road was dry at the time of the accident, and Masoni was wearing a seat belt, but the speed and force of the crash pinned him between the drivers seat and the collapsed cab and dash of the pick-up. He died from massive chest trauma.
A CHP officer who was en route to another accident saw the scene and called fire and medical personnel.
Masoni had to be extricated from his vehicle.
Virginia Masoni, was taken to San Jose Medical Center with a broken wrist and lacerations, where she was still being treated Friday.
Amorose was uninjured.
