The Mercury News reports that an alcohol-fueled, wrong-way crash claimed the life of a Santa Clara County Jail deputy heading home after his weekend shift.
According to a statement issued by a spokesperson from the California Highway Patrol, the fatal crash happened in San Jose along Highway 87 when a man in a Toyota minivan driving northbound in the southbound lanes struck the deputy’s 2021 Honda Accord head-on.
The California Highway Patrol was the first to respond to the scene of the crash. Paramedics and emergency crews also responded to the crash and declared the 50-year-old deputy dead at the scene.
The 26-year-old driver of the Toyota remained at the crash scene and was treated for moderate injuries at an area hospital. Officials say that the as-yet unidentified driver was arrested on suspicion of felony DUI.
The victim joined the Santa Clara County Department of Corrections in 1999. After the DOC was absorbed into the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office in 2012, the deputy applied to become a correctional officer. He was accepted and continued to serve as a correctional deputy for the SCCPOA for 11 years.
A tribute page for the deputy said that the 50-year-old was known for his sense of humor and for having brought “much laughter to everyone he encountered.”
On behalf of the attorneys and staff, we would like to express our heartfelt condolences to the family, loved ones, and fellow officers within the Santa Clara Sheriff’s Department at this difficult time.
