Police investigating what caused Gilroy High student to crash
SUV into a tree along Hecker Pass
Gilroy – Police are searching for the cause of an early Sunday morning accident on Hecker Pass Highway that left a 17-year-old Gilroy High School student in critical condition after his SUV struck a tree.
“Everything is kind of preliminary right now, but we have our guesses,” said Gilroy Police Sgt. Wes Stanford.
Police are not releasing the name of the victim until they speak with family members for the second time.
“It appears he was traveling within the speed limit,” said Cpl. Justin Matsuhara who is handing the investigation. “There appears to be no braking prior to the collision. Right at this point we’re still looking at all the different variables that may have contributed to him leaving the roadway.”
According to Matsuhara, while tests are still being conducted, alcohol is not believed to be a contributing factor in the collision.
The accident occurred about 6:56am near the entranceway of the Elks Lodge where the teen was headed westbound in a Chevy Suburban, police said. Family members told police he was coming home from dropping off a friend.
GHS held its senior prom Saturday night in San Jose, however, police are uncertain whether he attended.
“We haven’t been able to verify whether he was at prom or not,” Matsuhara said. “I haven’t talked with the family today about where exactly he was coming from and whether he attended prom. I’ve been trying to give them some time to digest things.”
School officials held assemblies prior to prom featuring guest speakers who stressed the importance of safe driving practices. As of press time Monday, school officials could not confirm whether he had attended prom the night before.
“From what I heard it had nothing to do with prom,” said GHS Athletics and Activities Director Jack Daley, who knew the boy but declined to disclose his name.
The teen suffered blunt force trauma, a dislocated hip and possible head injuries, police said. He was found trapped in the SUV and Gilroy firefighters had to extricate him. CALSTAR crews airlifted him to a San Jose area hospital where he remains in critical but stable condition, police said.
“He’s semi-conscious, but not to the point where he can answer questions,” Stanford said.
According to Matsuhara, his condition has not changed since Sunday morning.
The Major Accident Investigation Team was called out to investigate the crash. There are no known witnesses to the accident.
“Nobody saw what happened as far as we know,” Stanford said.
Anyone who witnessed the collision is asked to call police at 846-0350.
