Motorcyclist Who Was Killed In Crash Outside Gilroy Identified

SOUTH BAY, CA -- A 62-year-old Los Banos man who died in a motorcycle crash outside Gilroy last Wednesday night has been identified by the Santa Clara County medical examiner's office as David Flores.

Flores died around 9 p.m. April 19 at Holsclaw and Leavesley roads, the same intersection east of Gilroy where another motorcyclist died in a crash four days earlier.

In last Wednesday's crash, 17-year-old Morgan Hill boy driving a 2017 Honda Accord accelerated directly into the path of Flores' 2005 Harley-Davidson as he rode east on Leavesley. Flores crashed into the left front fender of the Accord and died at the scene.

The Accord driver suffered minor injuries but refused transport to a hospital, according to the California Highway Patrol. His passenger, a 14-year-old Morgan Hill boy, was unharmed.

The April 15 crash that killed 53-year-old Richard Martinez of Gilroy was reported at 5:25 p.m. In that incident, a 22-year-old Gilroy man steered his 2000 Ford into the path of Martinez's motorcycle, leading Martinez to crash into its right rear door. He died at Regional Medical Center of San Jose at 6:40 p.m.

Despite that two motorcycles crashed at the same intersection within days of each other, a county traffic engineer expressed doubt that it was more than a tragic coincidence.

"That intersection is pretty nicely constructed," said Masoud Akbarzadeh, county traffic engineer for the Santa Clara County Roads and Airports Department.

"For people who turn left from Holsclaw, Leavesley is pretty straight in that area with high visibility in all directions," Akbarzadeh said.

A third fatal motorcycle crash was reported on U.S. Highway 101 in Gilroy on the afternoon of Monday, April 24. The name of that victim has not yet been released.

Previous coverage:

• Fatal Collision Occurs on Hwy 101 After Motorcycle Weaves Through Traffic
• 2nd Fatal Crash In 4 Days Occurs At Intersection Near Gilroy

Bay City News contributed to this report/Image via Shutterstock