Driver identified in fatal semi crash on Interstate 680

Officials investigate if Gilroy man suffered medical emergency before veering off road

SAN RAMON >> A Gilroy man who died when the big rig he was driving veered off the freeway and crashed through a fence has been identified.

Authorities will investigate whether 62-yearold Ermilo Gonzales Jr. of Gilroy became sick at the wheel before the crash, which happened about 7 a.m. Sunday on southbound Interstate 680 just north of Alcosta Boulevard.

“We don’t know for sure if he had a medical emergency, but that’s in the back of our minds,” California Highway Patrol spokesman Officer Tyler Hahn said. “That, or maybe if he fell asleep. There were no obvious signs of an evasive maneuver either on the freeway or when he crashed into the fence.”

The Contra Costa County Coroner’s Office said Monday morning that an autopsy on Gonzales had not been conducted yet.

Investigators do not know how fast the semi was going or what lane it was in when it veered to its right and onto the shoulder. The big rig clipped a Honda along the way, but that driver was not injured, Hahn said.

After it crashed through the fence, the truck hit a tree, Hahn said. Gonzales died there.

A hazardous materials team responded after a small undisclosed amount of fuel leaked onto the side roads and into a drain, Hahn said.

The CHP did not shut down any lanes on I-680, but it did close northbound San Ramon Valley Boulevard from Alcosta Boulevard to Pine Valley Road until about 1:25 p.m., Hahn said.