CAMPBELL — A Los Gatos man was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving and could face vehicular manslaughter charges after he rear-ended and killed another motorist early Tuesday on Highway 17, authorities said.
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The collision was reported at 2:48 a.m. in the southbound lanes approaching Hamilton Avenue, according to the California Highway Patrol.
An initial investigation determined that a 21-year-old man was driving a 2018 Dodge Challenger and hit the back of a 2000 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck, causing the pickup driver, a 47-year-old Campbell man, to lose control of his vehicle, the CHP said. Moments later, the truck caught fire and was “fully engulfed in flames.”
The name of the man who died was not publicly released pending his formal identification and notification of his next of kin by the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office.
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The CHP said the Dodge driver was found to have been consuming alcohol and that “intoxication was a factor in this crash.” The driver, a Los Gatos resident, was arrested and booked on suspicion of driving under the influence and causing death or serious bodily injury. The suspected crime is often accompanied or superseded by a vehicular manslaughter charge.
CHP investigators closed or restricted traffic on southbound Highway 17 near the crash site for nearly four hours.
Anyone with information about the crash can contact the CHP San Jose area field office at 408-961-0900.
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