SAN MATEO, CA — A crash on the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge that killed a 54-year-old mother was the result of distracted driving, police said.
The collision, involving a van and a stalled sedan, occurred around 2:50 p.m. on Tuesday on westbound Highway 92 near the San Mateo bridge. The California Highway Patrol reported that the person in the sedan died after being struck by the van while stopped in the highway lanes.
CHP released an updated press statement on Wednesday that said the driver of a Ford Transit Van, identified with Rooter Hero plumbing branding, was distracted by his cell phone while driving.
“When the driver returned his attention to the roadway, he observed the stalled vehicle directly ahead of him,” the statement said, noting that the van’s driver looked away from the road and only noticed a stalled Kia sedan directly ahead once he looked back up.
CHP did not specify the van’s speed at the time of the crash.
The fatal collision occurred when the van driver, attempting to swerve away from a sedan, struck the vehicle, according to the CHP. The driver of the Kia was fatally injured and pronounced dead at the scene. A passenger in the van sustained major injuries and was transported to Stanford Hospital.
Police said they do not suspect alcohol or drugs were a factor.
CHP stated that any charges against the van driver are pending the completion of the officer’s report.
All lanes on Highway 92 were reopened by 8 p.m. Tuesday.
The woman killed in the crash was a 54-year-old mother who had fled Venezuela for a better life in the Bay Area, according to FOX2 KTVU.
Her daughter spoke with the news outlet and identified her as Mary Esther Hurtado Durán.