San Jose: Man dies after car struck by wrong-way driver on Highway 87

SAN JOSE — A man died after the car he was riding in was struck by a wrong-way driver early Monday morning on Highway 87, authorities said.

The driver of the car that was traveling in the wrong direction, a 24-year-old man from Mountain View, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, according to a press release from the California Highway Patrol San Jose.

This crash comes just over a week after two separate late-night collisions on Highway 87 ended in fatalities, one between two vehicles and one between a vehicle and a motorcycle.

At 2:18 a.m., CHP officers and an ambulance were dispatched to a two-vehicle collision with major injuries on southbound Highway 87 north of Taylor Street, authorities said.

In their investigation, CHP found that a man was driving a 2017 Dodge Durango in the wrong direction on the highway, authorities said. A Nissan Altima was driving southbound and swerved left to avoid hitting the Dodge. The Dodge swerved to the right, CHP added.

As the two cars swerved, the front right side of each collided with the other, authorities said. That impact then caused the Nissan to crash into the highway’s dividing concrete wall.

The front seat passengers in each car suffered major injuries and were transported to hospitals, authorities added. The drivers both had minor injuries.

The Nissan passenger succumbed to his injuries at the hospital, authorities said. He was a 36-year-old man from San Jose. His identity will be released by the Santa Clara County Coroner’s Office.

Two lanes of Highway 87 were closed for about 90 minutes following the crash, CHP added.

The collision remains under investigation. Anyone with further information is asked to contact 408-961-0900.