Man Who Died After Crashing into Creek Was Castro Valley Resident

By Bay City News

An elderly man who died in Hayward on Friday has been identified by the Alameda County coroner's bureau as 85-year-old Donald Lawrence, of Castro Valley.

Lawrence's 2002 silver Lexus ES300 was found around 11:15 a.m. Friday in a creek bed under Interstate 580 near Five Canyons Parkway, where the 85-year-old had been stuck and awaiting help for four hours, according to Hayward Fire Captain Thor Poulsen.

Emergency responders pulled Lawrence out of the creek bed using a backboard and took him to .

He was pronounced dead there at 1:45 p.m. Friday, about two hours after arriving, coroner's bureau deputy said today.

The cause of death has not yet been determined, the deputy said.

Lawrence appears to have experienced a dislocated hip and lowered body temperature in the crash, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Poulsen said Lawrence, who lived in the 4500 block of Old Dublin Road, made the short drive every morning to pick up his newspaper at the top of a hill.

While driving back down that hill Friday morning, Lawrence appeared to have missed his driveway, his car rolling down the hill and into the creekbed, Poulsen said.

CHP officials said Friday that the car hit a tree, went down the embankment and came to rest partially in the creek bed.

When Lawrence did not return home, his wife reported him missing.

CHP officers were at the couple's home taking the missing persons report when they learned of the crash.