Updated at 3 p.m.: A Gilroy man died just blocks from his
apparent home in an early morning car crash east of Gilroy.
A Gilroy man died just blocks from his home in an early morning car crash east of Gilroy, police said.
Terry Lee Cooper, 39, was driving a 1994 Chevrolet Suburban northbound on New Avenue north of Bannister Avenue about 1 a.m. Thursday when he drifted to the left out of his lane, across the road and off the western edge, according to the California Highway Patrol. His truck crashed into a large tree, killing him.
The crash occurred less than a mile away from his Guibal Avenue home. No one answered calls at the Guibal Avenue address Thursday morning or afternoon.
Cooper was traveling toward his home, but CHP Officer Matt Peters said he did not know where Cooper was coming from or going to.
Peters also did not know how fast the vehicle was moving when it drifted off the road. Police are still awaiting a toxicology investigation, which Peters said is standard in cases like this. The report would determine if drugs or alcohol were involved in the accident. Until then, the cause of the crash has yet to be determined, Peters said.
