A deadly five-car pileup near the Westfield Oakridge Mall may have been caused by a driver having a medical emergency, San Jose police said Monday.
Killed in the chain-reaction crash was 33-year-old Kimberly Karnes, of San Jose, authorities said. Six others had “varying injuries,” including a man and a juvenile rescued from a burning car.
The crash happened Saturday at about 3:54 p.m. at Santa Teresa Boulevard and Blossom Hill Road. Police said it all started after the driver of a 2020 Mercedes-Benz possibly experienced some sort of medical problem, according to police and reports.
The Mercedes hit a 2016 Kia sedan, and both vehicles collided with a 2024 Tesla sedan, which then struck into a 2004 BMW sedan. The force of the chain-reaction crash caused the Kia, driven by Karnes, to hit a 2014 Toyota sedan.
Karnes was taken to a hospital and later pronounced dead. Responding officers extricated a man and a juvenile passenger from the Mercedes after it caught fire, police said.
A man, woman and a juvenile in the Tesla were also injured, as was a woman driving the Toyota. A man driving the BMW was the only person not to be hospitalized with injuries.
The driver of the Mercedes, who police believe caused the crash, cooperated with authorities, and alcohol or drugs do not appear to be a factor.
Karnes is the 18th person killed in a crash in San Jose this year, police said.
The crash remains under investigation and anyone with information is asked to contact the police department’s traffic unit at 408-277-4654, or email the investigator at 4103@sanjoseca.gov. Tipsters can remain anonymous by submitting information on www.siliconvalleycrimestoppers.org.