San Martin resident pinned between door of truck and wooden
fence
Gilroy – San Martin resident Pedro C. Vasquez was killed Friday morning at his home on Depot Street when he was pinned between a fence and the door of his Ford F250.
Vasquez, 54, was standing between the door and the truck when he reached over to start the engine, and upon ignition the vehicle lunged forward, dragging him alongside the truck until it collided into a nearby wooden fence, police said.
Emergency personnel found Vasquez pinned between the fence and door.
“There was no witnesses so that makes it a little difficult to piece this together,” explained California Highway Patrol Officer Chris Armstrong.
A neighbor heard the crash and called 911 about 5:55am.
“When we arrived the engine was turned off,” Armstrong said. “So either he turned it off, it stalled, or the neighbor turned it off when he found him.” Police believe Vasquez struggled to turn it off by the way the truck veered to the left.
“Upon arrival of emergency personnel, (Vasquez) was speaking to them,” Armstrong said.
Vasquez succumbed at the scene from the injuries he sustained in the crash.
An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death.
“It was a horrible accident,” Armstrong said. “That’s just an accident that does not need to happen. I would obviously like to take this opportunity to remind people to drive safe, be properly restrained, and properly seated.”
The emergency brake was not set, police said.
