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Victim identified in Santa Cruz Mountains crash that left four injured

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June 17, 2025 6:54 PM
Published 12:29 PM

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV) - The victim in a crash over the weekend in the Santa Cruz Mountains has been identified.

Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office identified the victim as 78-year-old Daniel Landry of Santa Cruz.

The crash happened on Saturday night around 9:55 pm in both the southbound and northbound lanes of Highway 17 at Surgarloaf Road.

Landry was driving a Honda Element before colliding with a red Tesla Model Y and causing a rear-end crash with a Honda Accord behind it.

Landry was declared dead at the scene.

Crash in the Santa Cruz Mountains leaves one dead, four others injured

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV) -- The CHP's Santa Cruz office said a crash in the Santa Cruz Mountains Saturday night left one person dead and multiple others with serious injuries.

The crash was reported around 9:55 p.m. and involved both the northbound and southbound lanes of Highway 17 at Sugarloaf Road, according to the agency.

The CHP said for reasons still under investigation, a 78-year-old Santa Cruz man driving an orange Honda Element drove into oncoming traffic. The Honda Element collided with a red Tesla Model Y, causing a subsequent rear-end crash with the Tesla and a black Honda Accord behind it, according to the CHP.

The CHP said the driver of the Honda Element was declared dead at the scene despite life-saving efforts from bystanders and medical personnel.

The CHP told KION a female passenger from the Honda Element, plus the Tesla's 19-year old driver from Antioch and two passengers inside that car were all hospitalized with serious injuries.

The cause of the crash is still being investigated and it's unknown whether drugs or alcohol played a part.

Anyone with potentially helpful information is asked to call CHP dispatch at (831) 796-2160.

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Katie Nicora

Katie Nicora is the Dayside Producer for KION News Channel 5/46

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Sergio Berrueta

Sergio Berrueta has been in the news for quite awhile going from studying print media to entering the realm of broadcast.

Originally from Bell Gardens, California, in Southeast Los Angeles. Berrueta started his professional news career in Eureka as a newscast producer for North Coast News (now The Northstate’s News) at KAEF ABC 23 in 2022. He pivoted a year later in 2022 going from behind-the-scenes to in front of the camera as a multimedia journalist for Redwood News Channel 3 (KIEM/KVIQ) also in Eureka.

Berrueta studied journalism at Humboldt State University (now Cal Poly Humboldt) earning his Bachelor’s Degree. Berrueta was a staff writer, page editor, social media manager and editor-in-chief of the university’s El Lenador, the only bilingual publication in all of Humboldt County.

Before moving to the North Coast, Berrueta had earned his Associate’s Degree at East Los Angeles College in 2019 after beginning his educational journey in 2012. He also was on staff for the ELAC’s publication, ELAC Campus News, having been a staff writer, page editor, and online editor.

Outside of news experience, Berrueta has also been in education as an AmeriCorps tutor in East Hollywood from 2017 to 2019 and served in a government role as a National Hometown Fellow for Lead for America with the City of Arcata in 2021.

When not focusing on news, Berrueta is an avid amateur cinephile having written about films in free time. He also writes poetry, attempting to get through a backlog of video games, enjoys visiting new places along the California Coast, and trying to keep up with the latest music and podcasts.

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