A collision on Highway 101 in the early morning hours Friday between an SUV and a parked CHP vehicle resulted in a family of six sustaining injuries, and the deaths of two daughters. The incident occurred at 6:49 a.m. near the Embarcadero Road exit in Palo Alto.
The gold Lexus SUV was being driven by Arvind Tandel, 48, of San Bruno, and also in the car were his wife and four daughters, who were all shopping in Gilroy that morning and were then heading home to San Bruno.
A CHP patrol car had pulled over beside a disabled pickup truck on the shoulder near the exit, and the SUV swerved right and sideswiped the patrol car, and then went careening out of control, flipping several times before coming to a stop right side up. Two of the daughters were sent flying out of the vehicle. Nisha Tandel, 24, died at the scene and her sister Sheetal Tandel, 20, died later at Stanford Hospital. The four other family members remain hospitalized with lesser injuries, including another sister, Payal, 22.
CBS reports that Nisha Tandel and a 12-year-old sister were not wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash, but the other four family members were. The mother, Yogita Tandel, remains in serious condition.
Following the crash Friday morning, traffic was backed up at least five miles on northbound 101 as the investigation of the scene took place.
