GILROY
– A motorcycle/car wreck Monday afternoon gave Rachel and David
Oberstadt more fuel for their argument that the city needs to slow
traffic on Westwood Drive.
GILROY – A motorcycle/car wreck Monday afternoon gave Rachel and David Oberstadt more fuel for their argument that the city needs to slow traffic on Westwood Drive.
Police and witnesses said a woman driving a Dodge Stratus sedan cut off motorcyclist Kristen Dahl, 20, of Gilroy, by turning left in front of Dahl’s Kawasaki Ninja bike just before 5 p.m. Monday. Dahl was southbound on Westwood, and the Stratus was turning from northbound Westwood onto Cypress Court.
“The motorcyclist flipped through the air and hit the ground,” said Rachel Oberstadt, who watched the crash through the window of her Westwood Drive home. “It was frightening. I just heard a really loud smash.”
Dahl was conscious but injured, police said. An ambulance drove her to St. Louise Regional Hospital, and a CALSTAR helicopter flew her from there to a San Jose trauma center.
“She looked all right,” said Dahl’s fiance, A.J. Gassler, who was called from work to the scene. “She was stable and awake and aware.”
At a recent neighborhood meeting with the Gilroy City Council, Westwood Drive resident David Oberstadt said he asked Council members to consider adding a stop sign or two to Westwood, a neighborhood street that is becoming a major traffic thoroughfare.
“I would never let my kids run out (the front door),” said Rachel, who is expecting the couple’s third child. “People drive way too fast.”
Rachel said she often sees drivers going what she estimates is 45 to 50 mph on Westwood.
“I would like to see a 25-mph speed limit or a three-way stop (at Westwood and Cypress),” she said.
Police issued no tickets on Monday’s accident, according to Cpl. Jason Kadluboski.
Peter Crowley covers public safety for The Dispatch. You can reach him at pc******@************ch.com or 847-7216.
