Crime & Safety

Update: Woman Killed in I-880 Crash Identified as Palo Alto Resident

The fatal crash occurred around 1 a.m.

By Bay City News Service

A woman who was killed in a crash on southbound Interstate Highway 880 in Union City early Saturday morning has been identified by the Alameda County coroner's bureau as 49-year-old Palo Alto resident Charla Suzette Smoot Pate.

The California Highway Patrol received reports of a vehicle that crashed into the center divide near the Alvarado-Niles off-ramp on southbound I-880 at about 1 a.m., Officer James Evans said.

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Pate was driving her Mazda 323 in the slow lane when she lost control of the car, darted left and collided with the center divide, coming to rest on its side in the fast lane, according to the CHP.

A 2003 Chevrolet Impala struck Pate's car, separating it into three pieces, the CHP said. Pate was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the CHP.

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All lanes on southbound I-880 were closed at 1:07 a.m. as crews cleared the scene, Evans said. At 5:32 a.m., all lanes were reopened, he said.


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