HOLLISTER
– A Sacramento resident was killed in a collision at the
intersection of Sunnyslope and Fairview roads Sunday – part of a
stretch of road police say has seen four fatal accidents in the
past two years.
HOLLISTER – A Sacramento resident was killed in a collision at the intersection of Sunnyslope and Fairview roads Sunday – part of a stretch of road police say has seen four fatal accidents in the past two years.
Andrew Anthony Rodriguez was killed when he violated the right of way at the intersection, colliding with a vehicle carrying three Hollister residents.
Fairview Road has almost 20 intersections along it, which makes it dangerous, California Highway Patrol officials said. In the past two years, 55 collisions have occurred along it, resulting in five deaths, according to the CHP.
“Anytime you have a stretch of roadway with that kind of cross-traffic and a high volume of traffic, you’re going to have a high number of collisions,” CHP Officer Terry Mayes.
The San Benito County Public Works Department hopes to cut down on the number of accidents by placing a temporary stop light at the intersection of Sunnyslope and Fairview within the next three months, said Arman Nazemi, assistant director of public works.
“Anytime you have so many accidents in an area, we decided that a signal would be a safe remedy to that intersection,” Nazemi said.
Rodriguez was killed when the 2002 Ford Focus he was driving collided with a 2002 Chevy Tahoe at 3:15 p.m. Sunday.
The Tahoe’s driver, Hollister resident Richard Rhodes, 46, suffered minor injuries. The two passengers in the Tahoe, 44-year-old Rene Rhodes and a 15-year-old male, both of Hollister, were not injured, according to the CHP.
Rhodes had been drinking but was not considered to be under the influence; alcohol was not a factor in the accident, said CHP Officer Brad Voyles.
Rodriguez, who was in Hollister visiting family, was stopped at the intersection of Sunnyslope and Fairview roads waiting to make a right turn onto Fairview heading south. He changed his mind and decided to make a left turn, following a vehicle in front of him that had just made a left turn onto Fairview heading north.
“It’s possible his view was obstructed by the vehicle in front of him,” Voyles said. “The Tahoe had slowed down for the first car, but was still traveling 35 mph and hit right into the driver’s door.”
Rhodes kept his brakes applied in an attempt to avoid a collision but was unable to.
Rodriguez was trapped inside his vehicle for 45 minutes while emergency personnel worked to extract him, Voyles said.
“They did a lot of work on the vehicle just trying to get him out of the car,” he said.
Rodriguez was taken by ambulance to Hazel Hawkins Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. He was pronounced dead at 4:15 p.m. Sunday.
An autopsy is scheduled to be performed tomorrow, according to the San Benito County Sheriff’s Department.
