Hollister man dies in traffic accident on July 9 – SanBenito.com

According to authorities, a 31-year-old Hollister resident died in a traffic accident on Highway 25 on July 9.

On July 9 at approximately 9:10 p.m., the Hollister Police Department dispatch center received several calls reporting that a vehicle had crashed into a light pole on Pinnacles National Park Highway (Highway 25) at the intersection with Hillcrest Road, police said. Some of the reports claimed the vehicle was on fire and a crowd was gathered around it.

Hollister police officers, along with firefighters and paramedics from the Hollister Fire Department and the San Benito County Sheriff’s Office responded and found the vehicle “severely dented” on a traffic light pole, authorities said. The pole was on the southwest side of the intersection, but the vehicle was not on fire when officers arrived.

The driver and sole passenger were found trapped in the vehicle, police said. The driver, later identified as Francisco Palomino-Gibson of Hollister, suffered fatal injuries in the collision. Palomino-Gibson was pronounced dead at the scene.

During the police investigation, witnesses told officers that the vehicle was traveling south on Highway 25 at a high rate of speed, authorities said. The vehicle was observed passing other cars on the right shoulder of the highway.

According to police, the driver was running a red light southbound at the intersection of Highway 25 and Hillcrest Road, while eastbound and westbound traffic was running a green light. The driver passed a vehicle on the right that was stopped at the red light.

Another vehicle traveling westbound on Hillcrest Road collided with the rear of the speeding vehicle, causing it to spin sideways and strike the traffic pole, police said.

Authorities closed Highway 25 southbound from Meridian Street to Park Street and Hillcrest Road from Industrial Drive to Highway 25 while police investigated. All roads were reopened at 12:15 a.m. on July 9, police said.

“San Benito County Emergency Services urge our motorists to slow down, obey all traffic laws and drive defensively at all times,” Hollister Police said in a statement.