SARATOGA – One person was killed and five others were injured in a fiery two-vehicle crash in Saratoga on Wednesday, authorities said.
The collision was reported at the intersection of Highway 85 and Saratoga Avenue about 11:20 a.m., said Luisa Rapport, a spokesperson for the Santa Clara County Fire Department.
Authorities arrived to find one of the vehicles – a white sedan – engulfed in flames and stuck on an embankment, said Sgt. Michael Low of the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office. The second vehicle – a gray pickup truck – had major front-end damage.
Low said two occupants of each vehicle were taken to hospitals, three of them with life-threatening injuries. One of the occupants of the sedan, a man in his 70s, died a short time later. The Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office will release the man’s identity once it has been confirmed and his next of kin is notified.
Two witnesses were also treated at the scene for minor injuries and released, Low said.
Saratoga Avenue was shut down in both directions for an investigation. The California Highway Patrol also closed the off-ramps from Highway 85 to Saratoga Avenue.
Rapport said firefighters remained at the scene for much of the day to help the sheriff’s office with its investigation into the crash.
The cause and circumstances surrounding the crash remain under investigation, and anyone with information can contact the sheriff’s office traffic investigative division at 408-868-6600.
