In a devastating turn on a Santa Clara County highway, a multi-vehicle crash claimed the lives of two young sisters from Morgan Hill, ages 4 and 7. The incident took place on state Highway 152 east of Gilroy, where their lives were cut tragically short amidst the chaos of a five-car pile-up on Friday morning, authorities report.
The deadly sequence, which unfolded just after 7 a.m., was triggered when a 25-year-old man from Los Banos, driving a 2021 Tesla, moved into the eastbound lane to pass a Peterbilt truck and collided with a 2018 Honda heading in the opposite direction, according to CBS San Francisco. The impact flung the Tesla into an oncoming 2017 Dodge, initiating a chain-reaction wreck that ultimately involved a 2020 Subaru.
The 7-year-old girl died at the scene, while her 4-year-old sister succumbed to her injuries after being rushed to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. A 1-year-old boy in the Dodge emerged unscathed, Mercury News detailed in their coverage.
Other crash participants included the Honda driver, a San Jose woman in her 60s, and her passengers, both women in their 60s and 70s who suffered minor injuries, like the Subaru's driver, a 30-year-old man from San Diego. None of the others involved — which numbered a total of nine among the drivers and passengers — sustained serious injuries despite the violence of the collision.
Authorities have not charged or arrested the Tesla driver, who sustained major injuries in the crash. While the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office has yet to publicly release the names of the young victims, pending next of kin notification, the tragedy has reverberated across the community, leaving indelible marks on both kin and strangers alike. The California Highway Patrol, continuing their investigation, has not determined if drugs or alcohol played a part in the wreck. Those with information about the accident can contact Officer Vasquez at the CHP's Hollister-Gilroy office at (408) 427-0700.
