GILROY — Two Watsonville men were killed Sunday night in a rollover car crash on Highway 101 just south of Gilroy, according to the California Highway Patrol.
At about 10:30 p.m., a 49-year-old driver and three passengers were traveling south on 101 in a 2006 Nissan when the driver lost control and drove onto the dirt center median just north of Old Monterey Road, according to the CHP. The driver over-corrected to the right, lost control of the vehicle and collided with a hillside.
The car overturned and landed in on its roof in the right lane of southbound 101.
The collision with the hillside caused a dirt cloud cloud to envelop the roadway, according to the CHP. At the same time, a man driving a 2017 Honda south on 101 observed the dirt cloud and thought it was fog, according to the CHP. The man slowed down, but as he entered cloud he crashed into the left side of the Nissan.
The driver and one of the passengers were killed in the crash. A third passenger, a 37-year-old Watsnoville woman, suffered major injuries and a fourth passenger, a 4-year-old girl, was taken to a hospital for a precautionary evaluation, according to the CHP.
The driver was identified by the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner's Office as Gregorio Diaz, 49, of Watsonville. The passenger who died was not identified pending notification of next of kin.
Any witnesses to this collision are urged to contact CHP Officer C. Carsey at 408-848-2324.
Staff writer Jason Green contributed to this report.
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