A 64-year-old Morgan Hill man was killed when a suspected
drunken driver plowed into his motorcycle, catapulting him into the
windshield of another car.
Morgan Hill – A 64-year-old Morgan Hill man was killed when a suspected drunken driver plowed into his motorcycle, catapulting him into the windshield of another car.
Douglas Wollaston was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident at 7:38pm Tuesday.
Juan Mendez Martinez, 20, of San Jose, was booked into Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, felony drunken driving and driving without a license. Police say his blood alcohol level was three times the legal limit.
The accident occurred at the intersection of De Paul Drive and Cochrane Road in north Morgan Hill.
Martinez, driving a Pontiac Grand Am, was traveling westbound in the eastbound lane of Cochrane Road approaching the east side of the intersection. Wollaston had just cleared the intersection when Martinez, driving at least 50mph, according to police, slammed into him.
Wollaston flew into the windshield of the Grand Am, and into a Mercedes Benz that was traveling behind his motorcycle, before landing in the eastbound lanes of traffic.
The Grand Am continued forward until striking the third vehicle in the accident, a Chevrolet HHR, a small five-door, SUV-type vehicle.
“It appears Wollaston died from blunt force trauma injury, but we won’t know for sure until after the autopsy,” said Morgan Hill police Cmdr. Joe Sampson. “We do know that his helmet flew off during the accident.”
Martinez suffered minor injuries in the crash and was transported to San Jose Regional Medical Center in an ambulance to be treated before he was booked into jail.
The driver of the Chevrolet was slightly injured, but was extremely distraught, according to Sampson and was transported to Saint Louise Regional Hospital.
Sampson said it is likely that Martinez never saw Wollaston. It’s unclear whether he had his headlights on. There was no visible skid marks at the scene.Â
The intersection and crash site were littered with pieces of glass, metal and motorcycle parts.
The intersection was closed for more than four hours as officers investigated.
