SAN JOSE, Calif. – The driver who was critically injured when his car collided head-on with another car in a San Jose neighborhood last week – killing a 74-year-old woman in a fiery crash – has died, and police now suspect the man may have been driving under the influence.
The San Jose Police Department confirmed to KTVU on Saturday that the man died of his wounds on Wednesday. Police did not release the man’s name, but the Santa Clara County Coroner’s Office identified him as 81-year-old Christian Herbert Hygelund of Los Gatos.
The SJPD added investigators suspect Hygelund was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash.
The backstory:
According to police, a white 2018 GMC Denali driven by Hygelund was driving eastbound on Foxworthy Avenue near Jarvis Avenue on Oct. 25 around 2:35 p.m. when the vehicle tried to pass a 2018 Subaru Forrester.
While trying to pass, the GMC collided with the Subaru, and moved into the opposite lane of traffic, before hitting a blue Honda CRV head-on.
While police have not provided any official information, neighbors estimate the Denali was going at least 70 miles per hour at the time of impact in a 35 mph zone.
Video of the fiery crash shows the white GMC pushing the blue Honda down the street, before the GMC’s front hood caught fire. After the crash, the blue Honda is seen upside down on the front lawn of a house.
The woman driving the Honda died at the scene of the crash, according to police. She has been identified by her family as 74-year-old Ellen Orcut who lived nearby and still worked for a non-profit.
Hygelund was taken to a hospital in critical condition.
The driver of the Subaru was not injured.
Anyone with information regarding the crash is asked to contact the San Jose Police Department at 4103@sanjoseca.gov or 408-277-4654.