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 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 a committee there that gathered feedback from residents 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.
