Driver Killed On Highway 101 Wednesday Morning

A San Lorenzo man died this morning when the SUV he was driving went out of control and crashed into a metering light on a U.S. Highway 101 on-ramp in San Mateo, California Highway Patrol officials said.

The victim, a 48-year-old man, was driving a 1995 Ford Explorer south on Highway 101 at about 5:20 a.m. when he lost control on the wet roadway as he passed under the Hillsdale Boulevard overcrossing, according to the CHP.

The car spun around, went over a paved concrete divider that separates the highway from the Hillsdale Boulevard on-ramp, and struck the metering light. The SUV then slid off the roadway and came to rest in a nearby grassy area, CHP officials said.

San Mateo Fire Department paramedics pronounced the driver dead at the scene. The coroner's office had not yet released his name as of early this afternoon.

His passenger, a 47-year-old man who also lives in San Lorenzo, complained of pain and was taken to Stanford Hospital.

CHP investigators do not believe alcohol was a factor in the crash.

--Bay City News