A fatal crash reported at 12:34 p.m. Nov. 6 took the life of a 20-year-old Santa Clara man who had been drag racing with another car. The cars were heading north on San Tomas Expressway, just south of Homestead Rd., in Santa Clara.
Witnesses reported that the deceased’s car–a dark blue 2010 Chevy Camaro–and a silver Honda Acura, which fled the scene, had been racing at about 100 mph northbound on San Tomas between Forbes Ave. and Homestead Rd. when they encountered stopped traffic near the intersection of San Tomas and Homestead.
California Highway Patrol (CHP) Officer Ryan Fifield said that witnesses reported that the Camaro’s driver braked and veered right to avoid the traffic. Then the car went up a slight embankment and became wedged between a tree and a concrete sound wall.
The driver was killed on impact, which took off the entire left side of the car. The car caught fire, but the fire was extinguished before reaching its cabin. There were no other injuries or vehicles involved in the crash, but traffic was disrupted and slowed for about an hour.
Debris from the crash was sent flying over the sound wall. Neighbors living on the other side of the wall reported feeling the impact, which shook their houses, and said that the flying debris could have injured someone. Resident Steven Hames stated that an oil pump landed on his hot tub, where his nephew plays.
Neighbors said that although racing on San Tomas is unusual during the day, at night it is “constant.”
As of Tuesday afternoon, the name of the crash victim had not yet been released by the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office, pending the young man’s identification by family. Though originally believed to be a San Jose man, CHP Public Information Officer Ross Lee in San Jose confirmed that the man was later determined to be from Santa Clara.
Also, the driver of the Acura that fled the scene, possibly a TL or TSX model with a sunroof, had yet to be identified. Anyone with information can contact the CHP at (408) 467-5400.
