Seat belts saved six people involved in what could have been a
deadly three-car accident at the intersection of Southside and
Union roads Saturday night that happened when one driver ran a red
light, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Hollister – Seat belts saved six people involved in what could have been a deadly three-car accident at the intersection of Southside and Union roads Saturday night that happened when one driver ran a red light, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The signal at the intersection was out of service until Monday morning because one of the cars destroyed the control box, which disconnected power at the stop light, according to the CHP.
“It was a pretty nasty wreck,” said CHP Officer Matt Ramirez. “Seat belts really did play a factor in keeping everyone alive. Serious injuries decline right off the bat.”
Hollister resident Carlos Fernandez, 18, was the most seriously injured, suffering a broken right arm and some internal injuries after he ran the red light on Southside Road and collided with 37-year-old Hollister resident Donald Murray around 8pm, according to the CHP.
Fernandez, who was driving a 1995 Pontiac Grand Am at between 35 to 40 mph, was flown by CALSTAR to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center where he is still being treated for his injuries, Ramirez said.
Murray, a 14-year-old female passenger and a 14-year-old male passenger were taken to Hazel Hawkins Hospital for bruises and released later that night, Ramirez said.
San Benito County Planning Commissioner Richard Bettencourt was stopped on Southside Road at the red light in his 2002 Ford Expedition, and was hit head-on by Fernandez’s vehicle after it broadsided Murray’s car and spun out, Ramirez said.
Bettencourt and his wife, Sally, suffered minor airbag burns to their chest and hands and were taken to Hazel Hawkins Hospital where they were treated and released, Ramirez said.
As a result of the initial collision in the middle of the intersection, Murray’s 2001 Dodge Neon spun out and collided with the control box located at the corner of the intersection that controls the lights, Ramirez said.
The collision disconnected the power to the signal and destroyed the control box, said Arman Nazemi, assistant director of the San Benito County Public Works Department.
Public works employees installed four-way stop signs at the intersection as a temporary replacement until they were able to fix the signal Monday around 11am, Nazemi said.
Fernandez’s vehicle was totaled, and both other vehicles sustained moderate damage but had to be towed, Ramirez said.
Erin Musgrave covers public safety for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or em*******@fr***********.com
