Uber passenger killed in Pacifica crash identified

An Uber passenger who died in a crash on state Highway 1 in Pacifica early Christmas morning has been identified by the San Mateo County coroner’s office as 25-year-old Jason Gilbride.

The first report of the collision came in at 2:39 a.m. Friday on northbound Highway 1 near Paloma Avenue, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The driver of a Toyota Corolla traveling the wrong way on the highway collided with a Nissan Maxima driven by someone working for the ride-booking service Uber, CHP Officer Vu Williams said.

North County Fire Authority firefighters arrived to find the Toyota overturned and on fire in the center median, while the Nissan had major damage and was on an embankment, fire officials said.

The driver of the Toyota was pronounced dead at the scene and has not yet been identified by the coroner’s office. Gilbride, a Pacifica resident who was a passenger in the Nissan, was also pronounced dead at the scene.

The Uber driver in the Nissan was taken to a hospital with serious injuries, Williams said. An update on the driver’s injuries was not immediately available today.

CHP officials do not yet know whether alcohol or drugs played a factor in the collision, which shut down northbound Highway 1 for about four hours Friday morning.

Uber issued a statement later Friday about the crash:

“We are deeply saddened by this terrible tragedy. …. This Christmas Day, our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those killed and with the injured driver and his loved ones.”