Crash victim dies from injuries
The woman was one of eight people hit by driver who reportedly lost control of vehicle
SAN JOSE >> A woman has been declared dead from injuries she suffered in a violent crash where a driver lost control of his SU V and plowed into a group of people dining outdoors at the Grand Century Plaza on Sunday, according to San Jose police. Police reached the death conclusion after doctors e x ami ne d t he woma n Monday and found that her brain activ it y had ceased, according to a law enforcement source.
But the Santa Clara County Medical ExaminerCoroner’s Office said Tuesday afternoon that it did not have an assigned case, so it did not have information to disclose
The name of the woman was not immediately released by authorities. This would mark the city’s 40th traffic death of the year.
She was one of eight people — three women and five men — who suffered minor to major injuries in the crash reported at about 12:30 p. m. Sunday near McLaughlin Avenue and Story Road. At least one of the surviving victims was reported to have suffered life- threatening injuries.
The driver of the white 2000 4Runner, described by police as a 69-year- old man who claims he accidentally accelerated while trying to park, was also injured. He has not been cited or arrested. On Sunday, police stated that the driver may have had a medical emergency prior to the crash, but as of Tuesday they did not provide any additional information on whether that was corroborated.
Mall surveillance video
obtained by KPIX shows the SUV jumping a sidewalk, crossing four lanes, going over another sidewalk, then barreling into the parking lot that had been cordoned off with awnings for outdoor dining, where about two dozen people were seated.
An eyewitness told this news orga n i zat ion he heard a rev ving engine, and the SUV tires screeching and smoking before the crash.
The crash was quickly followed by a chaotic flurry of people screaming and attempting to tend to those who were injured, and some lay on the ground motionless, according to the witness.
D y na st y re st au ra nt , which was serving the people who were injured in the crash, had not registered or applied for a permit to offer outdoor dining in its parking lot through the city’s Al Fresco program, said Elisabeth Handler, spokesperson for the city’s economic development office.
The online registration process was launched in June to help businesses like eateries stay open in some capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic, and, as of Tuesday, the city reported that 87 businesses had received permits to move their operations into private parking lots.
Besides a layer of oversight, the Al Fresco program avails businesses to free metal railings and concrete barriers for certain outdoor dining setups, though they are primarily
used for road closures and parklets next to active traffic lanes. The city does not mandate a specific barrier type, but work s w ith indiv idua l businesses to provide barriers to those who request them, said Nanci Klein, the city’s director of economic development.
Handler was caref ul to note this is “not to say that a registration would have prevented someone from driving into people,” but that “it’s definitely a heads up that we need to look at this more closely and there’s meeting currently going on about it.”
Multiple calls to the Dynasty restaurant went unanswered Tuesday.
About six hours after the crash at Grand Century, another violent collision occurred a mile away on Story Road involv
ing another driver who claimed to have accidentally accelerated while trying to park, causing her Ford F-150 pickup truck to hit a food cart and kill a man.
That collision, at the La Placita Tropicana shopping center near K ing Road, remains under investigation. But a w itness, who was hit by the food cart when it was sent askew by the impact, contested the idea of it being an accident.
That witness said the pickup driver was in what appeared to be a domestic argument with a man standing outside the truck, then abruptly sped off, causing the crash.
The victim’s name has not been released by authorities pending his formal identification and notification of his next of kin.
Cit y C ouncilmember Maya Esparza, who represents District 7 where the two fatal crashes occurred, said that just last week she was sitting outside at a restaurant at La Placita Tropicana when a driver came by and did
doughnuts in the same parking lot.
“I certainly understand the dangers,” she said.
Esparza said she is working with city staff to make concrete barriers and metal rails more readily available to business owners and to revamp the safety guidance given to businesses who plan to move their operations outside.
“I’m concerned because I think what would have been a fender-bender previously, is something that can turn a lot more serious now since everyone is outside,” Esparza said. “It’s a balance between how to support livelihoods with supporting lives.”