Cupertino, California: Young Child Dies in Crash at Tantau and Pruneridge, Driver Arrested

CUPERTINO, California (Orbit Post) A young child died and a driver was arrested after a two vehicle crash shortly after noon on Friday near Apple Park in Cupertino, the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office said.

The crash happened shortly after noon on Friday, November 6, at the intersection of North Tantau Avenue and Pruneridge Avenue near the Apple Park Visitor Center, a sheriff's office spokesperson told KTVU. When deputies arrived, they found a woman and a child with serious injuries. Both were taken to a hospital, where the child later died.

ABC7 reported the first account on Friday evening, before the death was confirmed, that firefighters found two cars that had collided and one of them on fire, and that bystanders found a young child unconscious and began CPR until medics arrived. Fire officials told ABC7 the child was taken to a hospital in critical condition and two adults were also taken to a hospital.

Driver arrested after hospital release

The man who was driving the other vehicle had minor injuries, KTVU reported. He was treated at a hospital and later released. Investigators found probable cause to arrest one of the drivers on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter, according to the sheriff's office account reported by KTVU and NBC Bay Area.

Captain Neil Valenzuela of the West Valley Patrol Division called the crash a heartbreaking tragedy. "This is a heartbreaking tragedy for everyone affected," Valenzuela said, in the statement reported by KTVU. "Our thoughts are with the child's family and loved ones as they navigate an unimaginable loss."

What officials have not released

Sheriff's officials did not give the ages of the people involved, including the child, KTVU reported. It was not clear from the first reports whether the three people named in the sheriff's account were the only occupants of the two vehicles.

Investigators are still looking into what caused the crash at Tantau and Pruneridge, a corner next to the Apple Park campus in Cupertino. The sheriff's office said its traffic accident reconstruction work produced the evidence that led deputies to find probable cause for the arrest, in the account summarized by Particle News from the sheriff's reports.

No name for the arrested driver, the woman, or the child had been released in the reports published by Friday night and Saturday. The investigation continues, and anyone with information is asked to contact the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office through its West Valley Patrol Division.