Hollister
– Three men injured Monday in a car accident on Fairview Road
were still in the hospital on Tuesday afternoon.
Hollister – Three men injured Monday in a car accident on Fairview Road were still in the hospital on Tuesday afternoon.
“Everybody’s stable,” California Highway Patrol Officer Matt Fillman said.
According to Fillman’s report, the three men involved in the accident were Larry Smith, 61, of Hollister; Gary Shingai, 58, of San Juan Bautista; and Mike Brautovich, 61, of Watsonville.
Fillman said both of Shingai’s legs were broken in the head-on crash and that he remains in the Regional Medical Center of San Jose’s intensive care unit.
Smith suffered broken ribs and a fractured sternum, and will need surgery on his ankle, Fillman said.
Brautovich was scheduled for surgery Tuesday for discomfort in his right shoulder.
Fillman said that of the three people involved in the accident, he was only able to interview Brautovich, who was Shingai’s passenger in a white Chevrolet pickup truck.
Fillman said Brautovich told him that Smith’s 2006 Ford pickup veered into the northbound lane. Shingai and Smith then both swerved into the southbound lane at the same time, where they collided head-on.
County Supervisor Anthony Botelho, who represents the San Juan Bautista area, said both Shingai and Brautovich work for Pride of San Juan, a local grower of herbs, edible flowers and spring mix.
Smith was flown to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, while Shingai and Brautovich were flown to the Regional Medical Center of San Jose, Fillman said.
Valley Medical Center spokeswoman Joy Alexiou said Smith is in fair condition, which means he is stable and conscious, but he may be uncomfortable.
A staff member at Regional Medical Center confirmed that Shingai and Brautovich were in the hospital, but she said the hospital cannot provide any additional information.
Anthony Ha covers local government for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or ah*@fr***********.com.
