A Hollister resident was taken to the hospital after she rolled
her vehicle at least three times at the intersection of Hillcrest
Road and Industrial Drive Tuesday afternoon.
A Hollister resident was taken to the hospital after she rolled her vehicle at least three times at the intersection of Hillcrest Road and Industrial Drive Tuesday afternoon.
Echlan Rodriguez, 41, was driving her 1989 Chevy Suburban eastbound on Hillcrest a little before 5 p.m. when she swerved to avoid a semi-truck inching out into the intersection of Industrial and Hillcrest, attempting to make a left turn, according to Hollister police.
Rodriguez suffered moderate injuries, including cuts and scratches to her hands, feet and knee, according to witnesses. She was taken to Hazel Hawkins Hospital.
The driver of the semi, Randy Larson of Fremont, was not injured.
After rolling for almost 200 feet, Rodriguez’s vehicle landed on its wheels in the parking lot of Hollister Safe and Lock.
Employees of Hollister Safe and Lock said she was greatly exceeding the speed limit.
“She was flying – literally flying,” said employee Stuart Rees, who estimated Rodriguez’s speed was at least 60 mph. “She said she was going to hit the truck so she jumped into the back seat – she must not have been wearing her seat belt,” Rees said.
Rees, several other employees and the owner of the shop, said they heard screeching, skidding and crashing, and then a “big, big loud thud,” as the vehicle landed a couple feet away from some of the employee’s own parked vehicles.
When they came out to see what had happened, Rodriguez was getting out of the back seat and picking up her personal items that had fallen out while the SUV was rolling, Rees said.
Larson said he looked both ways before creeping out into the intersection and didn’t see any vehicles until it was too late.
“This lady came out of nowhere,” he said.
The Suburban was totaled and the semi sustained very minor damage.
Why Rodriguez climbed into the back seat while airborne is somewhat of a mystery, said Sgt. James Egan.
“People do weird things when their life passes in front of them,” he said.
