The driver who crashed a speeding Volvo into a popular Los Gatos coffee shop on Thanksgiving night has passed away, multiple sources have confirmed to the Los Gatan.
Karl Klemmer, 90, died on Sunday.
Klemmer, a resident of the Terraces of Los Gatos senior living community, was hospitalized after he drove at a high rate of speed into the Los Gatos Coffee Roasting Co. and didn’t brake, just after 9pm.
On another Thursday night, the cafe would have been filled with bluegrass music fans, but it was closed due to the holiday.
The incident made international news, including coverage by the UK Sun, the Daily Mail, Inside Edition and the New York Post.
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Klemmer was born and raised in Berlin. Those who knew him said he loved wine and was a physically active person.
After 45 years of marriage, Klemmer’s wife Gloria Ann Klemmer died in 2015, according to an obituary posted on dignitymemorial.com. In addition to Karl, she was survived by daughter Majka, son-in-law Jeremy, sister Sandy, brother-in-law Ralph, nephew Michael, stepdaughter Janice and granddaughters Crystal and Ciera.
This week, a memorial notice was put up at The Terraces of Los Gatos senior living community, where Klemmer lived.
He served on the facility’s dining committee, which gathers feedback from residents in order to improve the menu.
The Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department did not reply to a request for comment about the case on Sunday, nor did they provide any information to a Los Gatan reporter who stopped by the police station on Monday in an attempt to verify the report.
The Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s office declined to comment on the death on Monday afternoon, citing the need to notify next of kin first.
A fundraiser, set up by the Los Gatan newspaper to assist coffee shop employees, raised more than $50,000 as of Monday.
Last Friday, the business was able to partially open—and host live music again—during the annual tree lighting ceremony at nearby Town Plaza Park.
BUY COFFEE (but don’t hord the beans, Just buy a few bags, as they are in short supply until the roaster is back online!) The time has come to return to business. Frequent Los Gatos Coffee Roasting again. It’s like a whole town reunion! These last few days sitting here I have seen friends coming in that I havent seen in years! It’s happening. Donations are over, well done! Join me in a cup of coffee here to celebrate RESILIENCE!
Woz loves Teri’s freshly roasted coffee beans. So glad everyone chipped in to help a neighbor! Teri’s a great neighbor to all who stop by,
It’s sad, he was allowed to get behind the wheel. It looks like he enjoyed spirits, where was he drinking and who was with him? If it was my grandfather I’d definitely want answers!
Suicide, almost Murder/Suicide. Thank you, Heavenly Father. In Jesus’s name we pray for his soul and his family. 🙏
Edward, nobody even knows at this point, if he was drinking prior to the accident–although it looks like it was a foregone conclusion he was, based on the pictures in this article (scraped from social media). Unfortunately that the reader has been lead to believe this, with pictures and comments. The truth is that the accident is still under investigation (which is why the police are not commenting), and it is inconclusive at this point whether it was a medical event or if age or alcohol played a role, as the the coroner’s report is not back. The comment that said ‘those who knew him said he liked wine’ isn’t even attributed to anyone, either, so… that isn’t really validated either. If this was my grandfather, I’d be horrified at the accident as well as how the notification of his death and pictures has been presented and treated leading the reader to draw conclusions like this, before facts are in front of us.