A two-car accident left three people fighting for their lives with major injuries Thursday morning.
At 11:30 a.m., a 21-year-old San Martin woman with two elderly passengers, a 77-year-old woman and a 78-year-old man, were driving in a Nissan Pathfinder on Leavesley Road in Gilroy toward Highway 101 North.
Concurrently, a 65-year-old Gilroy man with a 58-year-old Salinas passenger was on 101 North in a Chevrolet Silverado truck.
The Pathfinder entered the on-ramp at 65-miles an hour and, according to CHP Officer Erica Elias, due to the rainy slick conditions of the road and the high speed, the driver lost control of the vehicle as it entered the freeway. The Pathfinder traveled across all three lanes, spun around and collided with the Silverado, sending the truck into the center divider.
According to Elias, drugs and alcohol are not believed to have been in a factor in the accident, but rather speed and road conditions.
The elderly passengers of the Pathfinder were not wearing seatbelts and sustained major injuries. The man, 78, was initially pronounced dead on the scene, but emergency personnel was able to revive him.
"He's still holding on at the hospital," Elias said.
The two men in the Silverado were not injured.
Traffic was diverted around all three lanes for several hours while the scene was cleared, but the road is now open and traffic is flowing as usual.
