The apparent wrong-way driver in a Christmas morning crash that killed an Uber passenger and seriously injured a driver who worked for the ride-sharing service was identified as a 23-year-old Peninsula man Wednesday.
The man was identified as Joebel Pagarigan, of Daly City, according to the San Mateo County coroner's office. Pagarigan was driving the wrong direction in a Toyota Corolla on northbound Highway 1 in Pacifica, near Paloma Avenue, when the crash occurred, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The first report of the collision came in at 2:39 a.m. on Dec. 25. Pagarigan collided with a Nissan Maxima driven by someone working for Uber and was pronounced dead at the scene, CHP officials said.
North County Fire Authority firefighters arrived and found the Toyota had overturned and caught fire in the center median. The Nissan was reported as having major damage and was on an embankment, fire officials said.
The Nissan driver was taken to the hospital with serious injuries, while a passenger in the car, identified by the coroner's office as 25-year-old Jason Gilbride of Pacifica, was also pronounced dead at the scene.
Uber issued a statement following the crash.
"We are deeply saddened by this terrible tragedy," an Uber spokesperson said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those killed and with the injured driver and his loved ones."
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CHP officials do not yet know whether alcohol or drugs played a factor in the collision, which remains under investigation.
