A Gilroy woman has died of her injuries following a crash on Christmas Day outside of Gilroy, the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office confirmed Monday. Socorro Alfaro, 64, was injured in a two-vehicle wreck near the intersection of Roop Road and New Avenue at approximately 12:30 p.m. Dec. 25.
She succumbed to her injuries—complications of multiple traumatic injuries due to the collision—just after 6:15 p.m. New Year’s Eve, according to the Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office.
The wreck occurred when Alfaro, driving a Chrysler PT Cruiser, was heading westbound on Roop Road when she failed to yield at the intersection and turned southbound onto New Avenue, according to the California Highway Patrol. The PT Cruiser collided with the left side of an SUV headed southbound on New, which caused the SUV—a Toyota RAV4—to roll over onto the southbound shoulder of the road, authorities said.
While Alfaro suffered serious injuries during the wreck, she was conscious and provided a statement to the CHP. She told authorities she was driving between 20 and 30 miles per hour when she turned onto New Avenue, saw the oncoming vehicle but was unable to stop in time to prevent the wreck.
The driver of the RAV4 was transported to a local hospital as a precautionary measure, but sustained no serious injuries, according to the CHP.
