A driver on Interstate 280 died early Sunday after veering off the road and hitting a boulder in a dirt median, the California Highway Patrol said.
A CHP officer found the woman and wreckage on the freeway near Hillsborough after responding about 7:30 a.m. to several emergency calls. The agency already had gone to the scene about 2:10 a.m. but did not spot anything, CHP spokesperson Officer Sophie Lu said.
The car, a Volkswagen Tiguan SUV, was in a ditch in the median south of Black Mountain Road. The median is an open one about 50 yards wide with dirt and ditches. Lu said the vehicle hit a boulder in a ditch after veering off the southbound lanes.
Authorities did not identify the woman immediately Monday morning, pending notification of her relatives. Lu said the CHP estimated the woman to be in her 30s.
A full autopsy report will be reviewed before the CHP determines why the crash happened. It’s not known whether the woman suffered a medical incident or fell asleep.