A pre‑dawn crash at a busy Mountain View interchange left one man dead on Monday and shut down a key stretch of Central Expressway for hours, snarling the morning commute as investigators worked the scene.
Police say the man’s car slammed into a concrete wall at the Highway 85 off‑ramp to Central Expressway. First responders performed life‑saving measures, but the driver was pronounced dead at the scene. Eastbound lanes through the interchange were closed for several hours while officers documented the crash and cleared the wreckage.
In a press release from the City of Mountain View, officials said officers were dispatched at about 3:00 AM to a solo‑vehicle collision at the Highway 85 off‑ramp, where they found the driver still inside the vehicle. Mountain View Fire Department personnel provided medical aid, but the man was pronounced deceased at the scene. According to the release, the department’s Traffic Unit is handling the collision investigation.
Road closures and response
All eastbound lanes of Central Expressway between Castro Street and the Highway 85 off‑ramp were shut down during the on‑scene investigation and reopened later that morning. As reported by the Mountain View Voice, police announced the initial closure in the predawn hours and said the roadway was reopened at about 9:15 AM.
Investigation underway
Authorities say the cause of the crash is still under investigation and are asking anyone who may have witnessed the collision or captured it on traffic‑camera or dash‑camera footage to contact the Mountain View Police Department. NBC Bay Area reported that drivers were urged to take alternate routes while crews worked at the scene…