Gilroy
– A 21-year-old San Martin man died on impact when his pick-up
truck ran off the road and struck a tree Sunday afternoon,
according to the California Highway Patrol.
By Lori Stuenkel
Gilroy – A 21-year-old San Martin man died on impact when his pick-up truck ran off the road and struck a tree Sunday afternoon, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The man was identified by the Santa Clara County Coroner’s Office Monday evening as Jose Reyes-Martinez of San Martin Avenue.
Several of the his family members were present at the scene minutes after the crash.
Reyes-Martinez was driving northbound on Murphy Avenue, south of San Martin Avenue, about 1:45pm.
After traveling through a curve with a posted 25 miles per hour speed limit, he lost control of his 1998 Dodge Dakota and careened left off the road, said Officer Matt Ramirez. It was cloudy and raining at the time.
“He was just going too fast,” Ramirez said. “It’s an unknown, but … he was going well over 25.”
The Dakota overturned on the west shoulder of the road and struck a tree, coming to rest on its left side, with its top against the tree.
“He pretty much died on impact,” Ramirez said. “The problem they had is that the impact was so extensive, they couldn’t get him out right away. They actually had to roll the car back over and peel it back to get him out.”
Several family members began arriving at the scene within 5 to 10 minutes of the crash, Ramirez said, about the same time that the CHP and California Department of Forestry Santa Clara Unit began arriving.
“They were trying to hold onto the car … and at least one party was restrained,” Ramirez said.
Reyes-Martinez was wearing his seat belt at the time. Ramirez did not believe drugs or alcohol contributed to the crash.
