San Juan Bautista
– A Hollister man died from internal injuries Tuesday after the
stolen truck he was driving slammed into a cement wall on Anzar
Road.
San Juan Bautista – A Hollister man died from internal injuries Tuesday after the stolen truck he was driving slammed into a cement wall on Anzar Road.
Michael Cruz Jr., 25, was pronounced dead at 6:15pm Tuesday at Saint Louise Regional Hospital in Gilroy, less than 90 minutes after the crash, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Passenger Elena Ruacho, a 16-year-old reported runaway from Chowchilla, also suffered major injuries in the crash, officers said. She is in stable condition at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, said Chris Armstrong, the public information officer for the Hollister-Gilroy area office of the CHP.
Police received a report that the 1999 Chevrolet Silverado involved in the accident was stolen at about 9:40pm May 23 in Hollister, six days before the crash.
Officer Rosie Betanio, a spokeswoman for the Hollister Police Department, said the truck was left unlocked and running for several minutes while the owner went inside a home in the 600 block of South Street.
“We’re not sure if he’s the one who stole the vehicle,” Betanio said. “But technically he was in possession of stolen property.”
Authorities do not know where Cruz and Ruacho were coming from or where they were going.
At 4:48pm, Cruz was driving a 1999 Chevrolet Silverado eastbound on Anzar Road, the CHP reported.
As the truck approached the San Juan Canyon Creek Bridge, it drifted off the road, officers said.
The truck slammed into a cement retaining wall, according to the CHP.
The CHP does not know how fast the truck was going when it hit the wall.
Investigators do not know if seat belts were being worn at the time of the crash.
Witnesses told officers that Cruz and Ruacho got out of the truck and sat down on the bridge, Armstrong said.
Emergency crews arrived and gave the victims medical aid, Armstrong said.
Ruacho was flown by helicopter to the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center with major but unspecified injuries to her legs, according to the CHP.
An ambulance took Cruz to Saint Louise Hospital in Gilroy with major injuries to his head, torso and legs, Armstrong said. He was pronounced dead in the emergency room.
Armstrong said Cruz was taken by ambulance to get him to the nearest hospital as fast as possible.
“Every effort was made to save him, most definitely,” Armstrong said.
Officers do not believe alcohol was involved in the crash.
The crash is still under investigation.
