The investigation into the crash that killed an 18-year-old
Gilroy teen may take weeks or even months, as police wait to
interview the driver of the pickup she was riding in when it
collided with a southbound commuter train Monday night.
Gilroy – The investigation into the crash that killed an 18-year-old Gilroy teen may take weeks or even months, as police wait to interview the driver of the pickup she was riding in when it collided with a southbound commuter train Monday night.
Jackie Gamboa was thrown from the GMC Sonoma truck at the railroad crossing at San Pedro Avenue when her boyfriend, Morgan Hill resident Nathan Schrock, 20, drove around closed gates to beat an oncoming train across the tracks.
He was stopped at the intersection of Railroad and Tennant avenues where the crossing arms were down, waiting for a northbound train to pass. Schrock and another pickup made U-turns down Railroad, attempting to beat the train to the next intersection.
Meanwhile, a southbound commuter train was heading down the tracks.
When the two trucks arrived, the gates were closed. Witnesses told police Schrock grew impatient and drove around a second pickup stopped at the gates and over the rails. He apparently did not see the southbound commuter train coming, police said.
Schrock remains in critical but stable condition at Regional Medical Center in San Jose.
“The investigation will be longer because we have to wait until he’s not medicated to proceed further,” explained Morgan Hill Police Cmdr. Joe Sampson. “You can’t do interviews with someone who is in a critical or medicated state. None of that is permissible or reliable.”
It may take several weeks before toxicology and alcohol test results are available.
Police will continue interviewing witnesses and examine reports made by the Amtrak Union Pacific. Once they can speak with Schrock and put together a complete report, it will be sent to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office who will determine whether or not to press charges.
Schrock could face vehicular manslaughter charges, police said.
Funeral services for Gamboa are pending.
