Last Updated on December 13, 2022 by C-CAR
Two men were killed and five other people were injured early Sunday when three vehicles crashed into a fallen tree on Highway 101 south of Gilroy, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The CHP was alerted of a crash with possible injuries around 3:30 a.m. Sunday on southbound 101 near Cannon Road, about 10 miles south of Gilroy. Officers found that a large eucalyptus tree fell on top of a Toyota in the rightmost of the two lanes, leaving the driver and two passengers with moderate to major injuries.
After the tree came to rest on top of the Toyota, blocking both lanes, a GMC traveling in the left lane hit the tree. Shortly after that, a BMW also struck the tree from the left lane, causing major damage to the vehicle.
The driver of the GMC, 50-year-old Jason Manning from San Tan Valley, Ariz., and the front passenger in the BMW, 28-year-old Ezequiel Sanchez from Gonzales, suffered fatal injuries.
Two others were taken to a hospital with major injuries: a 23-year-old woman who was driving the BMW and a 24-year-old man in that vehicle, both of Gonzales. A 22-year-old female passenger in the Toyota was also taken to a hospital after complaining of chest pain.
Southbound Highway 101 was closed for four hours following the collisions. According to the CHP, alcohol or drugs are not suspected to be a factor in the crashes.
