Weather may have been factor
Gilroy – A 53-year-old woman was killed Monday morning on Watsonville Road in a one-car accident in which weather may have played a factor, California Highway Patrol officer Chris Armstrong said. The Santa Clara County Coroner’s Office could not confirm identity by Monday afternoon.
The woman was a driving a 1994 Nissan Pathfinder eastbound on Watsonville Road west of Pharmer Road at 5:20am, when the SUV spun out of control as she made a right turn, and smashed into a wooden support pole, Armstrong said.
“Though the vehicle subsequently flipped onto its roof, it appears that the original impact with the pole, on the driver’s side of the vehicle, caused major trauma to her head,” he said.
It is not yet known if she was speeding, but the road was wet from recent rain, and even if she was not driving over the speed limit, the speed may have been unsafe for conditions, Armstrong said.
Neighbor Al Gutierrez said he’s seen an average of three accidents a year on the road since he moved there more than 30 years ago.
“People take it too fast,” he said, “and when it’s wet, they just lose control.”
The woman was wearing a seatbelt, Armstrong added, and alcohol does not appear to be a factor in the accident.
She died at the scene, after emergency crews extricated her from the Pathfinder and attempted to provide medical aid, Armstrong said.
The accident is under investigation. The CHP will know more about the incident today, and coroner’s office officials said they expect to confirm the woman’s identity today.
