Family Finds Loved One's Body Hours After Highway 85 Crash In Sunnyvale
SUNNYVALE (CBS SF) -- The body of a man fatally injured in a Christmas Day accident on Highway 85 in Sunnyvale was discovered near the crash scene by his family hours later, authorities said.
The California Highway Patrol said it got a call reporting a damaged and abandoned Toyota RAV4 in the No. 1 lane of Highway 85 near the Fremont Ave. exit at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Officers and firefighters searched the area, but did not find the driver and eventually left the scene.
On Wednesday morning, the driver's family came to the hillside crash scene to search for any clue as to where their loved one may be. They crossed the highway and searched the bushes where they made the grisly discovery -- the man's body.
Investigators said the man crashed into a wall in a solo accident. He suffered head injuries and then stumbled across the highway without being hit by another vehicle.
CHP Officer David Morey said an investigation found the driver had gotten himself out of the Toyota and walked south about half a mile, crossing over a center divide into a southbound lane of the freeway.
"He extricated himself from the vehicle," Morey said. "He got out and walked across the lanes of southbound traffic and came to the right hand shoulder where unfortunately he deceased from those injuries."
Morey said the family eventually located him in an "extremely concealed spot" in a gully on an elevated embankment. "We're kind of trying to stress...we did our due diligence in terms of searching for the party last night," Corey said.
The Santa Clara County medical examiner's office identified the man as 40-year-old Alan Willcox of Los Gatos.
Investigators do not suspect foul play and the coroner will determine the cause and time of death.
"The last place where we want to be on scene is where someone is deceased," said Morey. "You know on a traffic collision, especially around the holidays like this, there's no good way about it. For something like this to happen."
The incident remains under investigation.