An accident on Highway 84, Sunol, 8 miles from Fremont, California, claimed the life of a man last month. On Tuesday, March 3rd, the Alameda County Coroner’s Bureau identified the man as Jeffrey Shumate, 60, of San Jose.

The deceased was involved in a head-on collision on February 21st, at about 1:50 p.m. on Highway 84 near Vallecitos Road, half a mile east of Little Valley Road, Sunol. An investigation by the California Highway Patrol uncovered that Shumate triggered the events that led to the collision.

The man was driving a silver Honda Civic when he crossed over the double yellow lines for unknown reasons and collided with an oncoming silver Volkswagen Jetta. The two drivers were severely injured, with their cars wrecked.

Shumate was barely holding on to life when CHP arrived at the scene, and he was immediately transported to the Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley. A little before 4 a.m., the man succumbed to his wounds and passed away.

The driver of the Jetta, whom authorities identified as a 20-year-old female from Turlock, was taken to San Jose Regional Medical Center. A passenger in her vehicle, whose name was also not released, had minor injuries and was taken to the same hospital.

The CHP is investigating the cause of the accident, as Shumate died before he could explain why he crossed the double yellow lines. However, drugs and alcohol do not factor in the crash.

Crossing the double yellow lines is a traffic offense under the California Vehicle Code. Offenders usually get fined, and it is not a criminal offense unless there’s a death or grievous bodily harm.

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