Alcohol a possible factor in fatal Santa Cruz crash Sunday
SANTA CRUZ – Alcohol may have been a factor in a fatal crash in Santa Cruz County Sunday afternoon which left one person dead and another suffering major injuries, the California Highway Patrol said on Monday.
The CHP identified the fatality as Steven Taggert, 34, from Boulder Creek. He had been driving a red 2003 Toyota Tundra pickup truck along Highway 9 with a companion, 31-year-old Steven Foster of Boulder Creek, when the vehicle veered off the roadway, struck a tree and overturned.
Highway patrol arrived on the scene at 5:08 p.m. Sunday. A section of Highway 9 near Santa Cruz between Spring Creek Road and Douglas Avenue was briefly closed in the wake of the crash.
Both Taggert and Foster were found to have suffered major injuries because of the accident and were brought to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center for treatment. However, Taggert died at the hospital due to head trauma.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation, but alcohol is suspected to be a factor, the CHP said.