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An armored car flipped on Highway 17 on Thursday, closing the mountainous route near Summit Road for three hours and sending police and firefighters to their hands and knees as they scrambled to pick up hundreds of dollars in change that had scattered across the roadway.
The money -- everything from pennies to silver dollars -- was spread over at least 100 feet of northbound 17 near the Santa Cruz-Santa Clara county line after the truck's driver lost control of his vehicle about 2 p.m.
``It was just crazy. There were firemen and police just shoveling money. It was surrealistic,'' said Ralph DiTullio, owner of Nonno's Restaurant in Redwood Estates.
``Who could resist? If I was on the other side I would have been out of my car,'' he joked.
DiTullio, who was driving south shortly after the crash, said unlike in Hollywood movies, there weren't bills fluttering around or people rushing to pick up free money. Not only is the area rural, but a member of the armored car company's staff was standing by with a shotgun as rescue officials hurriedly collected the lost loot.
The driver of the Morgan Hill-based Armored Transport truck said he was cut off by another vehicle, a mile north of Summit Road, California Highway Patrol officer Steve Perea said. As the driver tried to correct on the rainy road, the truck hit the center divide. The road was reopened about 5:30 p.m. Traffic was backed up for miles.
The truck flipped several times, landing on its roof, Perea said. The driver was taken to the hospital, complaining of pain. His passenger was unhurt. No one in the southbound lanes was hurt.
``He's OK,'' said AT Transport assistant manager Donny Vis, of the driver. ``It was freezing and wet up there. He hit the center divide.''
When Vis was told that rumors flying around the Summit area already had placed the amount of money on the road at $1 million, he laughed and said that wasn't the case.
How much?
``I can't tell you,'' he said.
When Highway Patrol officers arrived, Perea said, they found hundreds of dollars in loose change. Officers spent hours using shovels and brooms to collect the money, dumping it in bags and buckets.
However, there was no theft of any of the lost coinage, Vis said.
The truck's occupants got themselves out of the vehicle before the engine caught on fire. It's unclear how much, if any, paper money was burned in the blaze, Perea said.
``It's not something you see very often,'' Perea said. ``It's not something I'm likely to see again.''
The crash is still under investigation. Officers believe speed may have been a factor.
``The one thing I can say is slow down, especially when the roads are wet,'' Perea said.
Witnesses are asked to call the Highway Patrol at (408) 467-5400.
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Posted 01/09/2007 05:42 am
