Crime & Safety

LAPD Accident Sends 2 to Hospital

Collision on southbound Foothill Expressway at Arboretum contributes to first day of school traffic snarls.

 

A Los Altos Police car was involved in a two-car accident on Foothill Expressway in south Los Altos shortly before 8 a.m. Monday, sending two people to the hospital.

Lt. Don Morrissey of the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office said his staff was called to handle the traffic investigation about 20 minutes later. Los Altos Police was referring all calls to the Sheriff's Office. This is a customary practice, since an agency cannot investigate itself. 

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Morrissey said the collision occurred near Arboretum Drive opposite the Woodland Acres neighborhood. A Santa Clara County Fire Department transported two people, one to El Camino Hospital and another to Stanford Hospital on a "Code 2," in which the vehicle uses emergency lights only, no siren.

Morrissey, who said he could not yet release any details about how the accident occurred, said he believed the two individuals transported had already been released from the hospitals.

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One motorist, who was heading northbound on Foothill Expressway at the same time, said he pulled over not far from the intersection within view of the Lucky's supermarket when he saw a fire truck in his rearview mirror. He passed by the scene, where a small four-door foreign car was pushed into the left-turn lane, and a Los Altos Patrol car was behind it. 

"It looked really serious," said George Stafford. "It wasn't a little fender-bender. The compact car is really compact now."

"There was significant rear-end damage on the small car and significant front-end damage on the patrol car."

After the first fire engine, a second one arrived, he said. Traffic backed up quickly at that hour. One mother said the road was closed to traffic and she was late getting her child to the first day of school. Montclaire School, about a half mile away in the Cupertino Union School District started school at 8:30 a.m. 

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