San Juan Bautista
– Two men were injured Tuesday in a four-car crash that closed
Highway 156 just east of San Juan Bautista for an hour during the
busy morning commute.
San Juan Bautista – Two men were injured Tuesday in a four-car crash that closed Highway 156 just east of San Juan Bautista for an hour during the busy morning commute.
Ricardo Garcia, 19, of Salinas, was taken by ambulance to Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital, where he was in stable condition after the crash, according to the California Highway Patrol. James Sheban, 33, of Hollister, was taken to Hazel Hawkins Hospital, where he also was in stable condition, the CHP said.
Garcia – a Mexican national whom the CHP believes to be an unlicensed driver – was traveling eastbound on Highway 156 at 6:35am when his 1992 Nissan Sentra drifted into oncoming traffic, CHP investigating officer Adam Yates said.
Garcia’s vehicle first sideswiped a 1999 Chevrolet S-10 driven by 21-year-old Hollister resident Shayne Clayton, then veered into a head-on collision with Sheban’s 1997 Ford Explorer, Yates said.
The crash spun the vehicles around, blocking both lanes of traffic.
Timothy Kane, 47, of Tres Pinos, who was westbound on Highway 156 behind Sheban, steered right to avoid Sheban and Garcia’s vehicles, Yates said, but his 2006 Chevrolet Colorado clipped part of the wreckage and came to a rest on the westbound shoulder.
Neither Clayton nor Kane were injured, Yates said.
Garcia suffered a broken femur, fractured vertebrae and a bruised lung, Yates said. Sheban suffered a laceration to his head, Yates said.
Firefighters, highway patrol officers and emergency personnel responded to the accident, Yates said.
The commuter traffic even brought extra help.
“There were a couple of nurses who helped us out on their way to work,” Yates said.
He said it is not uncommon for hospital personnel traveling to and from work to help during commuter accidents.
“Most of the time, if we have a registered nurse, they have the highest certification out there,” Yates said. “The ER nurses are the best asset out on the road.”
All of those involved in the accident were wearing seat belts, Yates said.
Head-on collisions typically occur on the driver’s side of each vehicle, Yates said. Fortunately for Sheban and Garcia, he said, Garcia’s vehicle veered far enough into the oncoming lane that the impact occurred on the passenger side of both vehicles, likely reducing potential injuries.
“It’s hard to say,” Yates said. “But definitely if it was driver’s side to driver’s side there’d be more serious injuries.”
Traffic was stopped and diverted onto Lucy Brown and Flint roads “for about one hour with the help of Cal-Trans,” Yates said.
The San Benito County Sheriff’s Department also assisted in traffic control, according to the CHP.
CHP is still investigating the accident, Yates said, but it did not appear that alcohol or drugs were involved.
CHP Officer Brian Borchard said there have been 126 accidents on Highway 156 since the beginning of 2005. Ten of those were DUI-related accidents, Borchard said. In 2005 there were three fatalities on Highway 156, Borchard said, but none so far this year.
Michael Van Cassell covers public safety for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or mv*********@fr***********.com.
