Monday, June 26, 2023

EXCLUSIVE EDITORIAL: Bad Crash in East Morgan Hill leaves 9 People Injured

It was Sunday night, June 25, 2023 in East Morgan Hill. Traffic at the time on East Dunne Avenue near the split intersection of Gallop Drive and Thomas Grade Road were quiet. But just after 8PM, a call to the dispatch center in Morgan Hill noted 3 cars were involved in a major crash at the intersection. The Ford Mustang involved flipped on it's roof while the other 2 cars also were involved; one of them involved a Toyota Sienna with kids inside. What exactly happened is unclear, but as soon as the call was made, CalFire Santa Clara unit crews from Dunne Hill fire station and from headquarters raced to the scene, including multiple Type 3 engines. Because of the urgent magnitude of the crash, a CalStar helicopter was requested from Gilroy's St. Louise Hospital. Meanwhile, CalFire SCU crews worked quickly to extricate two people out of the Mustang as the occupants were trapped in a high velocity impact crash.

NBC Bay Area News weekend personnel were shocked of what they saw following a dramatic scene involving a CalStar medical helicopter landing in the middle of East Dunne Ave just one block from the Dunne Hill Fire Station. During that late newscast, photos started to surface from a Facebook group of the crash involving a Mustang, Toyota Sienna, and another unknown vehicle that was unrecognizable to see; eventually, that was posted on Twitter. It now turns out that of the 9 people including children that were injured in the crash; one was taken via helicopter to St. Louise in critical condition.

Traffic was backed up on East Dunne Ave heading towards the direction of Jackson Oaks and Holiday Estates areas, which are two separate areas only accessible via East Dunne Ave and Thomas Grade Roads. However, because both of them were blocked due to the crash, it took several hours for traffic to finally clear. 

Neither CalFire Santa Clara Unit Chief George Huang nor FIS/PIO Chelsea Burkett were available for comment on Sunday night, but Morgan Hill residents living near the area are trying to get answers from either CalFire, Morgan Hill Police, and/or the city of Morgan Hill. So far, there were no answers at the moment.