Morgan Hill
– A Baypoint man was killed in the second of two early morning
accidents after he exited his vehicle which was stopped in
traffic.
Morgan Hill – A Baypoint man was killed in the second of two early morning accidents after he exited his vehicle which was stopped in traffic.
The first accident occurred about 5:25am Sunday in the southbound lanes of U.S. 101 just north of Bailey Avenue when Tyrone Reid, 38, of East Palo Alto, rear-ended an Acura Integra driven by Christopher Willis, 32. Reid’s Mitsubishi Eclipse ended up on the road shoulder, police said.
After the initial accident, Willis stopped in a southbound traffic lane. While standing near his auto, he was struck by two vehicles, CHP officer Brad Voyles said.
“The incident actually involved two separate accidents,” Voyles said Monday. “The first one with two vehicles led to the second accident and the fatality.”
Willis was pronounced dead at the scene.
About five minutes after the initial accident, Voyles said, Willis stepped out of his vehicle and was standing by its rear when two vehicles approached the accident scene.
Jose Rivera, 31, of San Jose, was driving a Jeep Cherokee, and Antonio Regalado, 49, of Redwood City, was driving a Chevy pickup. Rivera apparently didn’t see Willis or the Integra and turned his vehicle “at the last minute,” striking both Willis and the Integra, Voyles said. The Cherokee stopped on the shoulder.
Regalado’s pickup struck the Integra then rolled onto Willis, according to an accident report.
Regalado, who was not seriously hurt, was taken by ambulance to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose with lacerations to his face and hands. Rivera and Reid were not injured.
“The Integra was hit three times,” Voyles said. “After the third impact, the pickup rolls over on Willis, who was hit twice. It is unclear which of these impacts may have caused his fatal injuries.”
Alcohol and drugs do not appear to be a factor in the accident, Voyles said.
Willis’ family has unanswered questions about the accident, Voyles said, such as why he was even in the area at the time. They told investigators Willis should have been heading north to his home in Marin County.
The investigation is continuing, Voyles said.
“The first accident was stabilized, and the second accident was caused by Mr. Rivera,” Voyles said. “He could have been going too fast for conditions, there could have been another car in front of him, which swerved to avoid Mr. Willis and his vehicle, and Rivera was following too closely to avoid them. Right now, we don’t know. We have a lot of work to do, a lot of follow-up.”
