HOLLISTER
– A man and woman were killed and three others, including two
tourists from Germany, were seriously injured in a head-on
collision that shut down Pacheco Pass Highway for more than an hour
Thursday.
HOLLISTER – A man and woman were killed and three others, including two tourists from Germany, were seriously injured in a head-on collision that shut down Pacheco Pass Highway for more than an hour Thursday.
A 75-year-old man and a 52-year-old woman, both from Highland, were pronounced dead at the scene just east of Casa de Fruta, the Santa Clara County Coroner’s Office said.
The names of the victims were not released by the coroner’s office pending notification of their next of kin.
The California Highway Patrol said a 70-year-old Coalinga woman, who was riding in the same 2001 Buick Century as the victims who died, was taken by helicopter to a trauma center at San Jose Medical Center, where she is listed in critical condition and being treated for a broken jaw and massive injuries to her body, the CHP said. The woman’s name has not been released.
Walter Rammonat, 63 and his wife Doris, 61, tourists from Hamburg, Germany, were taken by helicopter to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center where they are reportedly being treated for cuts and scrapes to the body and head, and pain in the back, the CHP said. The Rammonats are currently listed in stable condition.
The 1:20 p.m. accident occurred when the unidentified Highland man was driving westbound on Highway 152 in the Buick Century with the two unnamed women at about 55 mph, CHP Officer Terry Mayes said.
For an unknown reason, he failed to negotiate a small right curve in the highway as his sedan passed Casa de Fruta and allowed it to drift into the center median, the CHP said.
In an attempt to get back on the road, the driver overcorrected his steering to the right and then overcorrected his steering to the left which reportedly sent the Buick traveling out of control, the CHP said.
The Buick crossed the center median and traveled into the opposing eastbound lanes where it struck an eastbound 2003 Mitsubishi Outlander driven by Walter Rammonat, the CHP said.
Investigators said Rammonat never had a chance to avoid the head-on collision.
“He didn’t even have time to brake,” when the Buick collided into the front of the car, Mayes said.
Crash investigators said initially they had trouble assessing the Rammonats’ condition.
“They didn’t speak any English, but fortunately (an officer) who was at the scene spoke fluent German,” Mayes said. “We were very lucky.”
Mayes said the accident is still under investigation.There are no indications that alcohol or drugs played a role in the accident, she said.
Traffic woes became even worse early Friday morning, when a tractor-trailer overturned on Highway 152, blocking traffic and slowing the morning commute for hours.
Jose Ortiz of Mendota was driving the tractor-trailer westbound on Highway 152 near the Santa Clara-Merced county line at about 3 a.m. After drifting onto the right-hand shoulder, Ortiz overcorrected, locked up his brakes and the semi-truck rolled over onto its side, according to Officer Brad Voyles of the CHP.
Ortiz was not injured in the accident and no other cars were involved, Voyles said.
The truck blocked both westbound lanes of traffic for about two and a half hours during the rush hour commute. The accident occurred on a portion of the highway that has a center divider wall separating westbound and eastbound traffic, so the blocked cars could not be re-directed. The westbound lanes were re-opened at about 5:30 a.m. but traffic was still moving slowly three hours later. The morning commute over Highway 152 usually begins around 4 a.m., Voyles said.
Anyone who witnessed or has information about the accident should call the CHP at 848-2324.
Staff Writers Jed Logan and Lori Stuenkel contributed to this report.
