GILROY
– An accident involving two diesel trucks and a Volvo station
wagon closed all three lanes on northbound U.S. 101 near Highway 25
for approximately two hours Friday afternoon.
GILROY – An accident involving two diesel trucks and a Volvo station wagon closed all three lanes on northbound U.S. 101 near Highway 25 for approximately two hours Friday afternoon.
There was only one minor injury in the accident, and traffic was detoured on Highway 25 to Old Monterey Highway back to U.S. 101.
“They are very lucky it wasn’t worse,” said Terry Mayes, a spokeswoman for the California Highway Patrol.
The accident occurred just after noon when 32-year-old Thomas Hooper of Bakersfield, driver of a diesel truck driving in the middle southbound lane of the three-lane freeway, momentarily looked down to grab his coffee. When he looked up traffic had suddenly slowed. He applied his brakes and steered to the left of the car in front of him, according to the CHP.
Moving to the left, the diesel truck collided with a Volvo station wagon which knocked off the truck’s 40-gallon fuel tank. The truck then took the Volvo skidding into the center K-Rail – removing a portion of the steel rail and skidding into northbound U.S. 101 before the truck finally turned on its side, where it blocked all three lanes of traffic. Pieces of the K-Rail also hit another diesel truck driving in a northbound lane, causing only minor damage to the truck, according to the CHP.
The driver of the Volvo – 36-year-old Skip Steinke from Mountain View – was taken by ambulance to Saint Louise Regional Hospital where he was treated and released for minor cuts and bruises.
