Crime

A 35-year-old Gilroy man died in a traffic accident in Morgan Hill early Sunday morning, according to police.The accident happened about 1:30 a.m. Dec. 19 on the southbound side of U.S. 101 north of Cochrane Road, reads a press release from the California Highway Patrol. When officers arrived at the scene, they saw a gray Scion TC resting on its roof, down an embankment on the west side of U.S. 101. The preliminary investigation found the Scion was driving south on U.S. 101 at a “high rate of speed,” police said. For an unknown reason, the driver made an unsafe turning movement and collided with a green Honda Civic. The Scion then left the roadway and overturned, coming to rest on its roof, police reported. The vehicle had three occupants. One of the passengers, a 35-year-old man, was pronounced dead at the scene. The Santa Clara County Coroner’s Office identified the deceased passenger as Alberto Hernandez Gomez of Gilroy. The second passenger, a 23-year-old Gilroy man, was transported to San Jose Regional Medical Center with major injuries, according to police. The driver of the Scion, another 23-year-old man, was released at the scene with no injuries, police reported.None of the three occupants of the Honda Civic—all Morgan Hill residents—suffered any injuries in the accident, police said.The number four southbound lane on U.S. 101 was closed for about 3.5 hours as emergency personnel cleared the scene and investigated, the CHP said.Anyone who witnessed the accident can call the CHP at (408) 467-5400.