Two men were killed and five others injured when three cars collided with a fallen tree early Sunday morning on Highway 101 south of Gilroy, according to the California Highway Patrol.
CHP was alerted of a potential injury collision on Southbound 101 near Cannon Road, about 10 miles south of Gilroy, at approximately 3:30 a.m. Sunday. An officer found a large eucalyptus tree had fallen over a Toyota vehicle on the far right of his two lanes, injuring the driver and two passengers moderately to seriously.
A GMC driving in the left lane collided with the tree after the tree stopped on top of the Toyota and blocked both lanes. Shortly after, the BMW also hit a tree from the left lane, causing extensive damage to the vehicle.
GMC driver Jason Manning, 50, from Santan Valley, Arizona, and BMW passenger Ezequiel Sanchez, 28, from Gonzales, were fatally injured.
Two others were taken to hospital with serious injuries. Her 23-year-old woman who was driving the BMW and her 24-year-old man who was in her car, both were Gonzales. A 22-year-old female Toyota passenger was also taken to hospital after complaining of chest pains.
Southbound Highway 101 was closed four hours after the crash. According to CHP, there is no suspicion that alcohol or drugs contributed to the crash.
