The two people who were killed Monday in a wrong-way crash on Highway 85 in San Jose were a mother and her teenage son, a coworker of the mother told NBC Bay Area.
The 47-year-old mother and 14-year-old boy, both from San Jose, were killed when they were struck head-on by a pickup truck driver going the wrong way on Highway 85 near Highway 87, according to the California Highway Patrol.
An email sent by Summit Tahoma high school in San Jose confirmed the boy was a freshman at the school, adding that students were being offered help as they process the tragic news.
A coworker of the mother said she worked remotely for an overseas company and had left work to pick up her son before the crash occurred.
At roughly 3:40 p.m. Monday, authorities started receiving calls about a wrong-way driver on Highway 85 near Saratoga Avenue in Saratoga, the CHP said.
The driver of a Toyota Tacoma was reportedly speeding southbound in the northbound lanes of the highway, according to the CHP.
The pickup truck later slammed into a Tesla Model Y near the Highway 87 split and Santa Teresa Boulevard, the CHP said.
The mother and son in the Tesla died at the scene. The driver of the pickup truck, identified as 39-year-old Duncan McQuarrie of Orlando, Florida, was taken to a hospital with major injuries, according to the CHP.
As of Tuesday, he remained hospitalized with major injuries and was being held, pending potential charges.
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"At this point now for this crash we are definitely looking at felony manslaughter charges," CHP Officer Ross Lee said. "There may be additional charges that result as the investigation continues."
McQuarrie's arrest record shows, among other run-ins with the law, he was cited earlier this year for driving without a license, possession of cocaine in 2021 and drunk driving in 2013.
It wasn't immediately known if drugs or alcohol played a role in Monday's crash.
An investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call the CHP at 408-961-0900.
