Hollister Man Dies in Car Crash

Christina Cole

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A 26-year-old Hollister man was killed shortly after noon Saturday in a head-on collision on Soquel San Jose Road.

According to reports, the accident occurred when a driver heading south in a 2004 Dodge Ram lost control of his truck in the rain, slid over the double yellow line and crashed into a 1991 Buick Century. The Hollister man died instantly, California Highway Patrol reported.

Both vehicles were driving the posted speed limit of 40 mph, but the road was wet, said Officer David Bruestle. "It sounds as though everyone was doing the proper speed limit, said Bruestle. If it hadn't been wet, the kid could have just rear ended the car in front of him."

Using the jaws of life and a hydraulic separator, fire officials extracted the Hollister man from the car, 90 minutes after a caller reported the accident.

The driver of the truck, a 19 year-old Watsonville man, and his two passengers were uninjured. No names have been released pending further investigation by the District Attorney's Office and notification of the dead motorist's family, according to the CHP.

CHP officials said both drivers were wearing seatbelts and alcohol did not appear to be a factor in the collision.
The northbound lane of Soquel San Jose Road was closed for about two hours while officers investigated and cleared the scene.