A Friday morning collision on U.S. 101 in Gilroy claimed the life of a 57-year-old local woman, according to the California Highway Patrol. She has been identified as Christina Cary, of Gilroy, the Santa Clara County Coroner-Medical Examiner said Monday.
Shortly after 8:40 a.m., a Gilroy man was driving a pickup truck in the far-left northbound lane ahead of the Masten Avenue exit when he drifted off the roadway for an unknown reason and over-corrected his steering, according to the CHP report.
The driver, identified as 21-year-old Jorge Abel Arellano of Gilroy, then smashed into the right side of Cary’s 2011 Honda CRV. She was driving in the No. 3 lane, the report reads.
Both vehicles were traveling at typical freeway speeds when they collided and they both overturned several times, CHP Officer Herb Kellogg said.
Arellano sustained minor injuries in the wreck and was transported to San Joe Regional Medical Center. Cary was pronounced dead at the scene, Kellogg added. The cause of death is unknown pending an examination, a spokesperson for the coroner said.
Authorities are asking any witnesses to call the CHP’s Hollister-Gilroy office at (408) 848-2324 and speak with Officer Davies. At this time, investigators do not suspect alcohol or drugs played a role in the collision, Kellogg said.
