‘Reckless driving’ caused head-on collision in Salinas

A man is in the hospital Monday night after surviving a head-on collision caused by what police say was a reckless driver.

It all happened late Monday afternoon near the intersection of East Market Street and Peach Drive in Salinas.

Surveillance video provided by a nearby business to KION shows the moments before the crash.

“I was shocked, like what’s going on? I thought, you know, somebody like went inside the store with his car,” said Sam Telfea, who was working inside Peace Auto Sales when he heard a loud crash outside.

Witnesses said a van going west on East Market Street veered into oncoming lanes, smashing head-on into a white truck and spinning into another sedan.

“The truck guy, you know, he was bleeding badly,” said Telfea.

“He is in the hospital right now, he has a couple cuts on his face and I don’t know about his body, they need to inspect it, how bad it is,” said Miguel Montano, who knows the driver of the white truck and who was at the scene on Monday.

There were three people inside the other sedan that was hit, and they said they are OK, but shaken up.

Police said reckless driving caused the crash. It is not the first one on this stretch of road.

“This week it was… this is the second accident,” said Telfea. “We always get accident in the street, the people they cross the street, a lot of people they get injured here.”

“I believe it has to be here a stop light or, you know, the stop line,” added Telfea.

Especially he said when something like this can happen in an instant.

“It was a second. The other guy, he ran over the line on him,” Telfea. “It’s seconds, it’s seconds (that) change your life.”

Police say the driver of the van is in serious but stable condition at the hospital. Police have not said if drugs or alcohol are involved, but the driver will likely face charges.