GILROY—A single-vehicle wreck on Leavesley Road Tuesday afternoon near Arroyo Circle turned fatal after the driver died in hospital the next day. Two passengers were injured and power lines were cut, impacting homes and businesses nearby.
Mark Pierce of Gilroy, 27, succumbed to his injuries Wednesday, according to Gilroy Police Department Sgt. Royce Heath.
Shortly before 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, a Buick sedan left Leavesley Road for an unknown reason, smashed into a pole and rolled multiple times before landing on its roof, Heath said. The three people in the vehicle were ejected, he added.
First responders noted Pierce didn’t have a pulse or heartbeat when they arrived on scene, the police sergeant said. Efforts to resuscitate the Gilroy man at the crash site were successful and he was transported in critical condition to the hospital where he later died.
A female passenger, who police said is a homeless woman with ties to Gilroy, had moderate injuries and was conscious and moving her arm when paramedics put her on a stretcher and into an ambulance to be taken to the hospital.
A second passenger, a Morgan Hill man, was treated by emergency personnel and released at the scene, Heath said. Police did not release the ages of the two passengers.
Due to varying statements by the passengers, police are unsure how or why the vehicle left the road or in which direction the car was traveling, Heath said. Investigators are urging anyone who witnessed the collision or has information to call the GPD at (408) 846-0350 and ask for Officer Andrew Viale.
“We do not have any information about whether alcohol or drugs were involved right now,” Heath added.
The GPD’s Major Accident Investigations Team is handling the investigation, Heath said.
Pacific Gas & Electric Company technicians were on scene Tuesday afternoon worked to reestablish connections to the downed power lines. It was not immediately known how many homes and businesses were impacted by the severed power lines or for how long, but some nearby residents reported power outages lasting into the evening.
Approximately two miles from the June 2 crash scene, four people were killed in a separate single-vehicle wreck also on Leavesley Road. Authorities said a 23-year-old Gilroy man drunkenly crashed a vehicle the night of May 12 while carrying three Gilroy high school seniors and a 24-year-old Gilroy man as passengers, killing them all on impact in that incident. Anthony Imbronone III, the driver, has since been arrested and charged with manslaughter and driving under the influence of alcohol.
