Palo Alto police investigate fatal solo car crash

A man died after a solo car crash in Palo Alto just before midnight on Saturday, and police are investigating the circumstances leading to the incident, according to the Palo Alto Police Department.

The victim, identified only as a man in his 40s, was the lone occupant of a pickup truck that crashed on Alma Street at the University Avenue overcrossing at 11:57 p.m. on Saturday, according to police.

Police did not identify the victim. The Santa Clara County coroner’s office did not immediately respond to Bay Area News Group’s inquiry seeking the victim’s identity.

Police and the Palo Alto Fire Department found the man unconscious inside the vehicle when they arrived at the scene. First responders pulled the man from the vehicle and transported him to a local hospital. The man died of his injuries at the hospital, authorities said.

According to a preliminary investigation by police, the man was driving northbound on Alma Street when the truck left the roadway and collided with a median, police said. The agency’s Specialized Traffic Accident Reconstruction (STAR) team continues to investigate the circumstances of the incident.

“At this time, it is unknown if drugs or alcohol were a factor, and the cause of the collision remains under investigation.  Police do not believe any other vehicle was involved,” according to the Palo Alto Police Department.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the 24-hour dispatch center at (650) 329-2413.  Anonymous tips can be sent via text message or voicemail to (650) 383-8984, or submitted using the “TipNow-Palo Alto” app.