A 49-year-old San Juan Bautista man, the driver of a tractor trailer, was killed Tuesday morning in Highway 25 north of Hollister when he collided with another big rig turning across his southbound lane.
The California Highway Patrol reported that the collision was reported at approximately 7:30am, and rush-hour traffic was slowed by the wreck.
The CHP said one tractor trailer was turning left onto Highway 25 northbound from a private driveway off the west shoulder of the highway, when he was struck by another large tractor trailer traveling south. The driver of the big rig in Highway 25 applied his brakes but couldn’t stop in time, the CHP reported.
The front of the southbound rig collided with the middle rear of the turning tractor trailer, which caused the southbound rig to overturn and come to rest blocking both lanes of Highway 25.
As a result of the collision, the driver of the southbound vehicle suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency personnel. The other driver sustained minor injuries and refused medical transport, said the CHP. Drugs and/or alcohol do not appear to be a factor in this collision, investigators said.
The victim was not identified, pending notification of next of kin.
Northbound Highway 25 at Shore Road and southbound at Bloomfield were closed for nearly six hours.
