CHP: Medical Emergency Likely Caused Highway 17 Crash

A Los Gatos couple was hurt when their sport utility vehicle veered off Highway 17 near Scotts Valley, plummeted down an embankment and crashed into a tree just before noon Thursday, the California Highway Patrol reported. 

It's likely that the 71-year-old man behind the wheel of the Toyota 4 Runner had a medical emergency that caused him to drive off the right side of the roadway, according to the CHP.

The driver and his wife, age 72, suffered moderate injuries. He was flown to Valley Medical Center in San Jose while she was taken by ambulance to Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz, the CHP reported. 

The crash happened on the southbound side of the highway just north of Scotts Valley. Both the driver and his passenger were wearing their seat belts.