Coroner Identifies Novato Man Killed in Dec. 22 Crash

Novato resident Joseph Pilotte was identified Wednesday as the 64-year-old man killed Dec. 22 in a collision on Highway 101 in San Rafael, according to the Marin County Sheriff/Coroner's Office.

Pilotte's northbound truck flipped on 101, sailed over the center divide barrier and crashed into another SUV in the oncoming southbound lanes.

Pilotte was behind the wheel of a red 1991 Toyota 4Runner with a camper shell when he apparently lost control at 3:10 p.m. and struck a Honda Pilot, the California Highway Patrol said.

In addition to Pilotte, four people from Windsor who were in the Honda Pilot were transported to Marin General Hospital. The Honda driver, 46-year-old Waleed Abdel Mageed, of Windsor, suffered moderate injuries, as did an 11-year-old boy. A 30-year-old woman and a 6-year-old girl suffered minor injuries.

The cause of the crash remained under investigation, but driver intoxication did not appear to be a factor, CHP Sgt. Shirley Lawson said. Lt. Keith Boyd of the coroner's division said there was no information ready to be released about the official cause of the death. The CHP has not released a cause of the crash.

— Bay City News Service contributed to this report.

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