Driver Killed Trying to Avoid Dead Dog

A 20-year-old man was killed early Saturday when he swerved to avoid a dead dog on the Foothill Freeway and was struck by another motorist, the California Highway Patrol said.

Matthew Kempe of Sunnyvale was driving a Nissan in the eastbound fast lane about 1:30 a.m. when he noticed cars in front of him changing lanes to avoid the dog, CHP Officer Frank Sansone said.

When Kempe swerved to the right, he lost control of his car and struck the right freeway wall. His car then bounced back into eastbound traffic, leaving his car stranded in a freeway lane near Wheatland Avenue, Sansone said.

The car was facing the median with no headlights and Kempe had just unbuckled his seat belt when an eastbound Ford traveling 65 mph hit the Nissan on the driver’s side, Sansone said.

Paramedics declared Kempe dead at the scene, Sansone said. The Ford driver, a 34-year-old Tujunga man, and a passenger in the Nissan, a 20-year-old San Jose man, suffered minor injuries and were transported to Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills, authorities said.