Wrong-Way Driver Killed in Highway 101 Crash Was Santa Clara Resident

SAN RAFAEL, CA- A man who died in a vehicle collision when he drove the wrong way on U.S. Highway 101 in San Rafael last week was a 53-year-old Santa Clara resident, according to the Marin County coroner’s office.

• SEE ALSO: Another Deadly Crash on Highway 101, CHP Says Wrong-Way Driver to Blame

Marin County Chief Deputy Coroner Darrell Harris said the victim’s name will not be released until the public administrator of Santa Clara County approves its release and can confirm there is no next of kin, Harris said.

The driver’s mother died in another country and the victim never married or had children, Harris said.

Part of the coroner’s office’s duties is to protect the deceased’s estate from people falsely claiming to be relatives, Harris said.

The man who died in the collision with a Peterbilt big-rig hauling two empty gas trailers on Nov. 30 owned his own business in Santa Clara, Harris said.

The collision occurred around 11:20 p.m. when the victim drove his Honda Civic north on southbound Highway 101 between the Central San Rafael off-ramp and Lincoln Avenue on-ramp, CHP Officer Andrew Barclay said.

The driver of the big-rig a 58-year-old Willits man, told the CHP he tried to veer to the left but was unable to avoid the collision because another vehicle was in the lane next to him.

– By Bay City News Service.