Features

West Berkeley Man Dies in I-80 Collision

By Richard Brenneman
Tuesday March 25, 2008

Samuel Torres, a 60-year-old West Berkeley man, died in an early morning accident Saturday near the Ashby Avenue exit on eastbound I-80. 

The driver of the second car in the collision, a 27-year-old Oakland man, was arrested by CHP on suspicion of drunk driving. CHP Sgt. Mark McAffee said his agency was notified of the accident at 5:46 a.m. 

While details of the accident remain subject to the findings of the investigation, McAffee said that the Oakland driver’s car, a 2001 Volkswagen, struck the center divider before swerving right across the traffic lanes and into the guardrail. 

Just when his car struck Torres’ 1994 Suzuki is still under investigation, McAffee said, but the small Japanese car also struck the guardrail. 

The CHP is withholding the Oakland driver’s name, while Torres, 60, lived at 1654 10th St. in West Berkeley. He died at the scene.