A 31-year-old Hollister resident died in a July 9 traffic accident on Highway 25, according to authorities.
About 9:10pm July 9, the Hollister Police dispatch center received multiple calls reporting that a vehicle had crashed into a light pole on Pinnacles National Park Highway (Highway 25) at the intersection of Hillcrest Road, police said. Some of the reports claimed the vehicle had caught on fire and a crowd was gathered around it.
Hollister Police officers as well as Hollister Fire Department firefighters and AMR paramedics responded, along with the San Benito County Sheriff’s Office, and found the vehicle “severely crushed” around a traffic light pole, authorities said. The pole was located on the southwest side of the intersection, however the vehicle was not on fire when officers arrived.
The driver and only occupant was found trapped inside the vehicle, police said. The driver, later identified as Francisco Palomino-Gibson, of Hollister, had suffered fatal injuries in the collision. Palomino-Gibson was pronounced dead at the scene.
During the police investigation, witnesses told officers that the vehicle had been driving at high speeds in a southbound direction on Highway 25, authorities said. The vehicle had been seen passing other cars on the right shoulder of the highway.
Police said as the driver approached the intersection of Hwy 25 and Hillcrest Road, southbound traffic had a red traffic signal while east and westbound traffic had a green traffic signal. The driver passed a vehicle on the right side that was stopped for the red light.
Another vehicle traveling westbound on Hillcrest Road collided with the rear end of the speeding vehicle, causing it to spin sideways and crash into the traffic pole, police said.
Authorities closed southbound Highway 25 from Meridian Street to Park Street and Hillcrest Road from Industrial Drive to Highway 25 while police investigated. All roadways were reopened at 12:15am on July 9, police said.
“The emergency responders of San Benito County appeal to our drivers to please slow down, obey all traffic laws, and always drive defensively,” Hollister Police said in a statement.
