Crime & Safety
Coroner IDs Man Killed on Central Ave. Exit of I-80
The Contra Costa County coroner's office has identified the man killed in a solo-vehicle accident on the Central Avenue exit of Interstate 80 on Wednesday as Manuel Garcia, 50, of San Jose.
By Laura Dixon, Bay City News Service
The driver of a minivan killed in a crash on Interstate Highway 80 in Richmond early Wednesday morning has been identified as a 50-year-old San Jose resident.
A Contra Costa County coroner's deputy identified Manuel Garcia as the man killed in the solo collision on westbound Highway 80 near Central Avenue around 1:40 a.m. A short time before the crash, California Highway Patrol officers working in a construction zone on westbound Highway 80 between Potrero Avenue and Carlson Boulevard heard a grinding sound and saw Garcia's Kia Sedona minivan driving with a flat tire, according to the CHP.
Concerned for the safety of the driver and surrounding motorists, the officers tried to stop the minivan, CHP officials said. During their attempt, the minivan veered left and crashed into a concrete median wall, then headed across lanes of traffic and down an embankment adjacent to the Central Avenue exit, according to the CHP.
Garcia, the minivan's sole occupant, suffered fatal injuries in the crash and was pronounced dead at the scene. The crash is under investigation, and anyone with further information is asked to call the CHP at (510) 450-3821 or (800) TELL-CHP.
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