The two residents killed were Katherine Carli in an accident on
Union Road at 4:40 p.m. Friday and Holly Z. Ruiz in another one at
1 a.m. on Cienega Road, according to a press release from the
California Highway Patrol.
HOLLISTER
Two Hollister women died in separate traffic accidents over the weekend.
The two residents killed were Katherine Carli in an accident on Union Road at 4:40 p.m. Friday and Holly Z. Ruiz in another one at 1 a.m. on Cienega Road, according to a press release from the California Highway Patrol.
The first accident involved Carli, who was co-owner of Alicats Winery on Nash Road with husband Alessio Carli, also the head winemaker at Pietra Santa Winery. It happened just south of Union Heights Road when Carli lost control of her Toyota SUV and swerved into oncoming traffic. A Hyundi SUV driven by James D. Christman “collided broadside with the errant Toyota,” according to the news release. The Hollister Fire Department and Calfire responded and extricated both drivers from their vehicles, the release stated.
Christman was airlifted to San Jose Regional Medical Center with internal injuries. Carli succumbed to her injuries on the scene despite efforts by respondents and was pronounced dead at 5:09 p.m. Carli and her husband Alessio started Alicats Winery at 10 Nash Road in 2006.
The second fatality, involving Ruiz, occurred when a passing big-rig driver called 911 as he spotted her 1995 Jeep Wrangler, which had struck a large tree at the bottom of a steep hill, according to the CHP.
Ruiz was dead at the scene at 1:55 a.m. when the CHP arrived. Both directions of Cienega Road were closed for about 3-1/2 hours. The CHP suspects alcohol may have been a factor in the Ruiz accident, according to the press release.
The CHP press release states: “Alcohol is suspected of being a factor in this collision, but it will be determined, through investigation, whether it is the primary cause of the collision.”
