Community Corner

Eleven-Year Old Watsonville Girl Dies In Rollover In Los Altos Hills

Driving conditions were clear in the midday accident, but the truck, carrying eight people, veered and overcorrected.

Written by L.A. Chung

An 11-year-old Watsonville girl is dead, and apparent members of her family and associates injured in a rollover accident on Interstate Highway 280 near Los Altos Hills Saturday, the California Highway Patrol said Sunday.

CHP Officer Arturo Montiel said the agency received a call at 11:37 a.m. about a truck blocking a lane of the northbound side of I-280 south of Page Mill Road.

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Officers found a white Ford 150 with major rollover damage, but upright, in the the far left lane, and a girl lying in the roadway with major injuries, Montiel said. She died shortly after being taken to Stanford Medical Center.

There were seven others, including the driver, Maria Campos, 37, who had minor-to-major injuries and were taken to area hospitals. They ranged in age from 2 to 50. Besides the 11-year-old girl, two other people were not wearing seatbelts and were ejected from the truck, Montiel said.

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Montiel said it appears the Ford was traveling northbound on I-280 when, for unknown reasons, the driver allowed the Ford to veer to the left, lost control and the truck, subsequently overturned. The Ford rolled over multiple times ejecting three unrestrained passengers. It also appears that multiple passengers in the truck were not wearing seatbelts, he said. 

The truck was a four-door model with two bench seats, capable of carrying six passengers, he said. All together, there were eight people in the vehicle, and officers believe that some of the passengers were riding in the bed of the truck, which had a camper shell. It is not legal to carry passengers in the camper shell portion of a truck unless there are seats and seatbelts properly installed, Montiel said.

The list of injured, with most severe injuries first, include:

  • Maria Campos, 37, of Watsonville, who was the driver, taken to Valley Medical Center with major injuries.
  • Simon Figueroa, 44, of Watsonville, taken to Stanford Medical Center with major injuries
  • Augustin Campos, 43, of Watsonville, taken to Stanford Medical Center with moderate injuries
  • Diego Campos, 16, of Watsonville, taken to Valley Medical Center with minor injuries
  • Jasmine Campos, 10, of Watsonville, taken to Valley Medical Center with minor injuries
  • Iris Campos, 2, of Watsonville, taken to Valley Medical Center with minor injuries
  • Laura Lopez, 50, of Watsonville, taken to Valley Medical Center with minor injuries
  • The deceased girl was not identified, pending authorization
The collision is under investigation and it does not appear that alcohol or drugs were a factor in this collision, Montiel said. The three left lanes of I-280 northbound were closed for about two-and-a-half hours during the on-scene investigation, resulting in moderate traffic delays, he added.

If there are any witnesses to this collision, Montiel asked members of the public to contact Officer Tutthill at (650) 369-6261.

 


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