Crime & Safety
Santa Cruz County Coroner IDs Man Killed In Watsonville Crash
His car crashed head-on after drifting over the double yellow lines.
WATSONVILLE, CA — The Santa Cruz County Sheriff-Coroner's Office released the identity Wednesday of a Salinas man who died Saturday after his car collided head-on with another vehicle on the state Highway 129 overpass east of state Highway 1 near Watsonville.
Cesar Romero, 20, was driving a 1997 Chevrolet Cavalier west on the overcrossing around 2 p.m. Saturday, according to a preliminary investigation by the California Highway Patrol.
Driving east on the overpass was a 27-year-old Hollister man in a 2004 Ford Freestar, which also had a 19-year-old Hollister man in the passenger seat.
Find out what's happening in Santa Cruzfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
According to the CHP, Romero's Chevrolet drifted over the overpass' double-yellow dividing lines and began moving west in the eastbound lane of the freeway.
The 27-year-old man began to turn the Ford to the left to avoid colliding with the Chevrolet sedan, but Romero turned to the right, also in an effort to avoid a collision.
Find out what's happening in Santa Cruzfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Both vehicles subsequently collided as they both moved toward the westbound lane of the highway.
In addition to Romero's death, the two men in the Ford were treated for moderate injuries at Natividad Medical Center in Salinas.
The CHP is still investigating the collision and has not determined whether alcohol or drugs were a factor.
Copyright © 2021 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.
