A 73-year-old grandfather was killed in a deadly collision this morning on the Northern Highway. The accident occurred around 9 between miles 8 and 9 and it involved a car and a pickup. We were on the scene a short time after, and we've tried to piece together the deadly collision.
Keith Swift Reporting,
A crushed car and a collapsed pickup almost folded in half is what was left after the two violently collided near mile 8 on the Northern Highway. Police say that around 9 am the gray Plymouth driven by David Vasquez was northbound while the Mazda pickup driven by 32-year-old Gaylord Ray Gillett was southbound on its way to the city.
It's at this curve police say the two collided. The official version from police is that Vasquez was trying to overtake cars on the highway. It is when he hit the corner that he went face on into the pickup driven by Gillett. The impact was great and tragic. 73-year-old Oswald Young who was a passenger in the car died on the spot. His body was immediately put on a stretcher and removed from the scene.
The car's driver David Vasquez was actually trapped inside and with help of the Jaws of Life. He was seriously wounded and was promptly transported to the KHMH for treatment. The pickup's driver Gaylord Ray Gillett escaped with what appeared to be a back injury. He was able to walk but was later transported to the hospital in an ambulance.
The scene was eventually cleared after the better part of an hour - allowing traffic, which was backed up for miles on either side of the northern highway to flow.
The driver of the Plymouth 31-year-old David Vasquez is tonight in a critical condition in the Karl Heusner Hospital. The pickup's driver 32 year old Gaylord Gillette was treated for his back injury. Police are investigating but they have indicated that the blame lies with Vasquez since he was trying to overtake. That version differs sharply with what eyewitnesses told us. We'll monitor developments in the case.
