A man suspected of being drunk ran his car into a tree in south
Gilroy Tuesday night, sparking a fire that sent thick dark smoke
hundreds of feet into the air, according to California Highway
Patrol.
photo gallery of the fire.
A man suspected of being drunk ran his car into a tree in south Gilroy Tuesday night, sparking a fire that sent thick dark smoke hundreds of feet into the air, according to California Highway Patrol.
About 6:45 p.m. a young man driving a blue, older model Chevrolet pickup truck driving from Monterey Road veered off the southbound on-ramp to U.S. 101 and into a 50-foot tree, said Sgt. Steve Temple of CHP. The front left of the vehicle smashed into the tree and stopped there.
Witnesses to the crash rushed to the car and helped the man – whose age and name were not known to CHP by posting time – out of his car, Temple said. Soon after, the CHP arrived and the car was engulfed in flames.
“It spread really quick,” Temple said. Within fifteen minutes, the car’s teal color had changed to a scuffed gray, the license plate had busted off and the taillights melted.
“It doesn’t take long,” Temple said.
In addition, the blaze caught on the tree and flames reached about 40 feet high. About three dozen people, peering out of stopped cars on Monterey Frontage Road and trickling out of the Hilton hotel across the street, watched the fire.
CHP performed a sobriety test on the driver – who they believed lived in Hollister – and made observations of his behavior, then concluded that the man was under the influence of alcohol. They then loaded him onto a stretcher bound for Regional Medical Center in San Jose.
“Based on the damage to the front of the truck and the inside of the vehicle, the paramedics have a protocol to follow,” Temple said.
More details on this story will be posted as information becomes available.
