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Uploaded: Monday, September 3, 2012, 11:00 AM
Updated: Wednesday, September 5, 2012, 9:04 AM
Man killed in Middlefield Road crash identified
Vehicle hits tree south of San Antonio Road
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A man was killed when his car drifted off of Middlefield Road in Palo Alto Monday morning and struck a tree, police said.
David Louis Jefferson, 63, of Palo Alto, died at the scene after his car struck a tree. The crash was reported at about 8:05 a.m. in the 4200 block of Middlefield Road, just south of San Antonio Road.
Police said it appears Jefferson was driving north on Middlefield Road when his car crossed into southbound lanes, went onto the sidewalk and struck a tree.
Jefferson was alone in the car, was pronounced dead at the scene. No other cars were involved and no one else was injured.
Jefferson was a 1967 Menlo-Atherton High School graduate and standout basketball player. He is the father of David Jefferson, a 1993 Palo Alto High School graduate and former Paly baseball coach. Jefferson is the grandfather of 2011 Paly graduate B.J. Boyd, who just finished his first pro baseball season in the Oakland Athletics' farm system.
Investigators believe it is possible that he suffered a medical emergency just before the crash. The Santa Clara County medical examiner's office will determine the cause of death, but the medical examiner does not release that information.
Traffic was blocked on Middlefield Road while the crash was investigated, and Santa Clara Valley Transit Authority bus line No. 35 was rerouted.
Anyone with information on the crash is asked to call the Police Department's 24-hour dispatch center at 650-329-2413. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call or text 650-383-8984, or email paloalto@tipnow.org.— Bay City News Service Are you receiving Express, our free daily e-mail edition? See a sample and sign-up for Express.
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Posted by wow, a resident of the Meadow Park neighborhood, on Sep 3, 2012 at 12:20 pm I drove through that area within 10 mins of the accident from happening..
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Posted by musical, a resident of the Palo Verde neighborhood, on Sep 3, 2012 at 12:49 pm 10 minutes before, I presume. Was the sun in your eyes? Actually it's a month or two later in the year before the sun lines up perfectly with that stretch of Middlefield at that hour. Condolences to the driver's family.
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Posted by Elizabeth, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Sep 4, 2012 at 11:05 am Traffic was block in both directions for a long time. It was closed when I went past at 10:30 and at 11:30 when I attempted to drive that section again it was still closed.
Investigation does take a lot of time. Look at 680 this morning! Yikes!
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Posted by TV's Gabe Kaplan, a resident of the Professorville neighborhood, on Sep 4, 2012 at 11:12 am I was driving down that road 45 minutes before the accident, and it was overcast. Sun was not a factor.
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Posted by musical, a resident of the Palo Verde neighborhood, on Sep 4, 2012 at 2:06 pm Thanks Gabe. I was initially remembering the morning tragedy on eastbound Bay Road in EPA about 11 months ago when the sun did factor in. That season is approaching, so hope all drivers are extra careful when the sun is low, and keep those windshields clean. It also behooves pedestrians and cyclists to realize when drivers are likely to be blinded.
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Posted by musical, a resident of the Palo Verde neighborhood, on Sep 4, 2012 at 4:39 pm Middlefield is much closer to northwest-southeast than either east-west or north-south. To newcomers I explain Palo Alto general usage as anything toward San Francisco is north, toward San Jose is south, toward the bay is east, toward the coast is west. We're all just a fair amount slanted here.
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Posted by Midtwon, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Sep 4, 2012 at 11:08 pm You're right, musical. When the morning sun shines into my back windows I logically know that it's East, but my Palo Alto mind says that it's South toward San Jose.
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Posted by PAGRAD2012, a resident of another community, on Sep 5, 2012 at 10:48 am My thoughts and prayers to the Jefferson Family.
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Posted by neighbor, a resident of the Greenmeadow neighborhood, on Sep 5, 2012 at 11:22 am Unbelievable. A man has died and people want to debate the direction of the streets, the sun, etc. Really, people, have you totally lost perspective on the essential information shared in this article? A family has lost their father, their grandfather. Friends have lost a good friend. My heart goes out to his family during this difficult time of loss. May you be comforted by wonderful memories and the love and support of those around you.
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Posted by the problem with online forums, a resident of the Barron Park neighborhood, on Sep 5, 2012 at 12:19 pm I cannot agree more whole-heartedly with neighbor's comment. I can only think some people get cynical satisfaction out of trolling and posting bizzare, inappropriate comments instead of responding with a modicum of empathy, understanding or decency.
To the Jeeferson family, please know that there really is a caring community that shares your grief and is not reflective of the insensitive posts above that are simply designed to provoke responses of outrage. Please ignore those and hold onto the dear memories of your grandfather, father, family member and friend.
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Posted by musical, a resident of the Palo Verde neighborhood, on Sep 5, 2012 at 4:04 pm I was sincere in offering my condolences in my original comment before the driver was identified or any mention of suffering a medical emergency. The best outcome from any tragedy is to learn to prevent the next one. Many threads on PA Online are discussions of driving, traffic, and dangers to school children in the morning. So it's not really "unbelievable" that, in the absence of further information, there would be some discussion here of auto accident causes. Now that the driver has been identified, the sadness is brought home and you will see more extension of sympathy and remembrance.
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