Accident at Main Street and S. Green Valley jams up traffic

No major injuries were reported in this two-vehicle collision Wednesday at South Green Valley Road at Main Street in Watsonville. (Photo by Tarmo Hannula/Register-Pajaronian)

WATSONVILLE — No major injuries were reported in a dramatic two-vehicle crash Wednesday on Main Street at South Green Valley Road.

The 11:45 a.m. incident left a large, older-model dump truck on its side and a mangled SUV in the center of the heavily travelled intersection during the lunch hour.

Watsonville Police Officer Jason Koehler said a 31-year-old Gilroy woman was driving a 2000 Jeep Grande Cherokee southbound on Main with two children on board, ages 10 and 11. While attempting a left turn onto northbound Green Valley the woman slammed into the driver’s side of the 1958 GMC with two men aboard that was traveling northbound on Main Street toward the Highway 1 onramp. The impact was so great that it caused the GMC, of Green Tree Service Co., to flip onto its side, even though it was fully packed with wood chips and foliage. It was also towing a large wood-chipper trailer.

The only injuries reported were minor scrapes and bumps.

Koehler said that although he still had to interview several witnesses it appeared that the Gilroy woman may have run a red light.

Watsonville police and the California Highway Patrol put a host of officers and personnel on the scene in hopes of keeping traffic moving. However, the bulk of noon traffic flow quickly stacked up and several logjams slowed thousands of motorists, many of whom crept past the scene to get a better look of the drama.

Southbound Main at Green Valley was closed for about two hours. Police redirected traffic on northbound Green Valley onto southbound Main, keeping them from crossing Main Street and accessing Green Valley. Northbound traffic flow on Main Street was rerouted into northbound Main.

A crew from Caltrans was called to the scene to help clean up the spilled tree trimmings and woods chips that emptied into the intersection.

The front end of the Jeep was caved in and several body panels were ripped away from the vehicle.







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