BRISBANE – An 18-year-old San Ramon man reported missing crashed into a stopped pickup on Highway 101 on Tuesday morning, killing the San Jose man who got out to examine his vehicle, the California Highway Patrol said.
After interviewing the driver and examining the collision, investigators believe the crash was likely accidental, said Officer Shawn Chase.
The victim, 54, was in the southbound lanes past Sierra Point Parkway and pulled to the shoulder after experiencing mechanical troubles, Chase said.
He got out and walked around to the front of his Dodge Ram pickup when a Toyota Camry rear-ended the truck, causing it to strike the San Jose resident, throwing him 75 feet, Chase said. The man, whose name has not been released, died at the scene.
The Camry driver, Theodore Liang, was not injured. He was questioned by investigators Tuesday morning but was not detained, Chase said.
Liang was reported missing about 6:35 a.m. Tuesday by his brother, San Ramon police said. The brother reported Liang may be “at-risk” and was driving a 2005 silver Toyota Camry. The CHP notified San Ramon police about 9:45 a.m. that the 18-year-old was involved in a crash.
Liang is a senior at Dougherty Valley High School in San Ramon, where he is a good student, said Terry Koehne, spokesman for the San Ramon Valley School District. School staff members are being notified about the crash, and the district is waiting for more information.
“It’s obviously a tragic situation, and our hearts go out to him and his family and certainly to the victim,” Koehne said.
While witnesses told the CHP that the driver did not slow down before the crash, Chase said it still appears to have been an accident.
The collision caused the gas tank of the pickup to rupture, and firefighters were summoned to tend to the leaked fuel. Traffic was narrowed from four to two lanes for 21 2 hours while emergency and road crews cleared the roadway, snarling traffic during the morning commute.
Contact Robert Salonga at 925-943-8013. Follow him at Twitter.com/robertsalonga.
