Gilroy: Father hit by car, dies after dropping kids off at school

GILROY — Members of an elementary school community were reeling from the death Friday morning of a father who was struck down by a vehicle, reportedly driven by a teenager, while he was walking away from the school after dropping one of his children off.

The children’s mother also was seriously injured in the vehicle-versus-pedestrian crash, which occurred just after 8 a.m. at the intersection of Charles Lux Drive and Lopez Way, Gilroy police said in a news release. The intersection is less than a block from Las Animas Elementary School, where one of the man’s children is a student, Gilroy Unified Superintendent Anisha Munshi said in a statement posted to Facebook.

“I am deeply saddened for the family, our students, the broader community, and the driver,” Munshi said. “Please hold all those involved, and our community, close in your hearts.”

When Gilroy police officers responded to the scene of the crash Friday morning, they learned that the father and mother were hit while walking in the crosswalk, the news release said. Life-saving efforts were performed on the father, but he was declared dead at the scene. The mother was transported to an area hospital for treatment and was listed in serious condition Friday.

Gilroy police said that the driver was detained and cooperating with the investigation. The driver was only identified as a teenager. Police also said they don’t consider drugs, alcohol or speed to be factors in the crash.

Munshi said the man’s other child is a student at Rod Kelley Elementary. The superintendent said the South County Youth Task Force had mobilized the Mariposa Resiliency Center to provide counseling services at the schools and to those in need in the larger community.