Apple employee was speeding in Cupertino crash that killed toddler
Driver charged in deadly Cupertino crash
Eric Chen Su was charged with gross vehicular manslaughter in the Cupertino crash outside Apple's headquarters that left a 2-year-old girl dead.
CUPERTINO, Calif. - An Apple employee was driving more than 90 mph in a 30 mph zone when he rear-ended a stopped car outside the company’s Cupertino headquarters, killing a 2-year-old girl, investigators said.
Eric Chen Su, 37, was arrested on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter in Friday’s crash, which killed Riley Kathryn Howard and left a woman hospitalized with head and spinal injuries, according to a Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office statement of facts.
Fatal crash near Apple Park Visitor Center
What we know:
The crash happened at 12:01 p.m. at Tantau and Pruneridge avenues, near the Apple Park Visitor Center.
Investigators said Su was driving a black Toyota Camry north on Tantau Avenue at more than 90 mph when he struck the back of a stopped blue Chevy sedan. He did not apply his brakes before the collision, according to the statement.
Riley was in a child safety seat inside the Chevy. She and the woman were taken to a hospital, where the toddler died. The woman is recovering from her injuries.
Speedometer found stuck at 100 mph
Dig deeper:
Investigators said the Toyota’s speedometer was stuck at 100 mph after the crash.
Video footage from Apple and witness accounts supported investigators’ findings that Su was driving at an unlawful and excessive speed, according to the statement. KTVU has not reviewed the video footage.
Crash happened during busy lunch hour
Local perspective:
Su worked at Apple’s Cupertino site, investigators said. The crash happened around the time employees typically take lunch, when vehicle, pedestrian and bicycle traffic increases in the area, according to investigators.
"A reasonable person would know this time of day was busier than normal," investigators wrote.
It was unclear whether Su was on his lunch break at the time of the crash.
Investigators determined Su's speed demonstrated a total disregard for the safety of others. He remains jailed on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter.
The Source: The information in this story comes from the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office statement of facts and the criminal complaint filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court.