A three-car accident caused five Gilroy residents to be sent to
different area hospitals with varying injuries Tuesday evening. The
collision happened on the northbound lane of Highway 25, south of
Shore Road in a construction area, according to the California
Highway Patrol.
HOLLISTER
A three-car accident caused five Gilroy residents to be sent to different area hospitals with varying injuries Tuesday evening. The collision happened on the northbound lane of Highway 25, south of Shore Road in a construction area, according to the California Highway Patrol.
CHP Officer Jaime Rios said the case is still under investigation at this time but noted that “alcohol was not a factor in the collision.”
“We don’t know what the cause is at this time,” said the spokesman for the Hollister/Gilroy office. “The officer hasn’t finished the report yet.”
Officials did confirm that two vehicles, a 1998 Plymouth Grand Voyager and a 1996 Geo Metro, were stopped on Highway 25 around 8:27 p.m. when the third car, a 1997 Plymouth Grand Voyager, collided with the other van causing it to hit the Geo.
Five people were transported to area hospitals because of injuries sustained from the accident, which backed up traffic for about an hour. Two passengers from the 97 Voyager, a 1-year-old female and a 2-year-old female, were taken to Valley Medical Center in San Jose by helicopter for facial lacerations and head trauma. San Benito County Fire Battalion Chief Paul Avila said one of the young victims was transferred to Gilroy by ambulance before being airlifted to San Jose. Rios said the children’s safety equipment was in the vehicle but was not properly used.
Another passenger, a 6-year-old male, was transported by AMR ambulance to Saint Louise Regional Hospital in Gilroy for lacerations to the head. Two other passengers in the van, a 40-year-old male and a 9-year-old, reported no injuries. The driver, a 31-year-old female, also reported no injuries.
The driver of the 98 Voyager, a 38-year-old Gilroy resident, was transported by ambulance to Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital for complaints of pain in his lower back.
The 29-year-old male driver of the 96 Geo was taken to St. Louise Regional Hospital by ambulance for complaints of pain in his ankle and chest.
The CHP does not release identities of those involved in accidents unless they are arrested.
The investigation is still pending for both the San Benito County Fire Department and the CHP as to the cause of the accident.
Units from CalFire, the San Benito County Fire Department and American Medical Response responded to the crash with additional assistance from the Hollister Fire Department, Avila said.
