Gilroy
– Police continue to search for two men who struck a van causing
it to careen into an unoccupied house, knocking it off its
foundation.
Two of the van’s occupants suffered minor injuries, while the
two occupants of the car that caused the crash fled the scene on
foot, and are being sought by the California Highway Patrol.
By Lori Stuenkel
Gilroy – Police continue to search for two men who struck a van causing it to careen into an unoccupied house, knocking it off its foundation.
Two of the van’s occupants suffered minor injuries, while the two occupants of the car that caused the crash fled the scene on foot, and are being sought by the California Highway Patrol.
Basil Domingo, 36, of Chula Vista, was driving a white Ford van westbound on Pacheco Pass Highway, U.S. 152, at about 12:05pm Friday with eight family members. He was just west of Frazier Lake Road, traveling at about 45 mph when a red Nissan Sentra, exiting the Old Gilroy Market, pulled out in front of him.
The driver of the Nissan was trying to make a left-hand turn across the van’s westbound lane to travel eastbound when the left front side of the car struck the front of the van.
Domingo’s van veered out of control off the right side of the road, and crashed into the corner of a house on the 2000 block of Pacheco Pass Highway.
No one was home at the time.
“It doesn’t look like there’s a whole lot of damage to the house – you can see where the van ran into the corner of it,” said CHP Officer Matt Ramirez. “But it’s knocked off its foundation and the whole things looks kind of sunken.”
Domingo complained of neck pain and passenger Marina Domingo, 66, of Lemoore, complained of pain to her ankles. Both were transported to Saint Louise Regional Hospital, where they were treated and released.
Cyril Domingo, 33, of San Marcos, and five juveniles also were in the van, but suffered no injuries.
Following the collision, the Nissan stalled in the middle of the highway, and the car’s driver and passenger fled the scene on foot. They are described as two Hispanic male adults of thin build.
The CHP is continuing its investigation to locate the suspects, Ramirez said, and both could be charged with a hit-and-run. The District Attorney could charge the driver and, potentially, the passenger with a felony because the collision caused injuries, Ramirez said.
Anyone with information about the accident may contact the CHP at 848-2324.
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