A 71-year Pacific Grove man died in a two-vehicle accident Wednesday afternoon on Union Road south of Geneil Court in San Benito County, according to a press statement from the California Highway Patrol.
The accident near Pacific Scientific, just east of Highway 156, was reported at 3:24 p.m.
The Pacific Grove man was southbound on Union Road in a 1999 GMC Sierra when, for an unknown reason, he allowed the truck to drift to the right and off the road onto the dirt shoulder. He then made an “evasive turning movement” to the left, crossing the southbound lane and colliding head-on with a 2011 Ford Edge crossover sport utility vehicle driven by a 25-year-old woman from Morgan Hill, according to the CHP.
The man’s SUV came to a rest in a dirt field east of Union Road and caught fire. It became fully engulfed in flames, according to the CHP. The man, whose identity has not been released, died at the scene. The woman was transported to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center with moderate injuries.
Sheriff’s Sgt. Tony Lamonica said it could be sometime next week when the coroner can officially confirm his identity.
