UpdatedThu, Jan 28, 2021 at 10:37 pm PT Reply Both drivers who died Wednesday in separate solo-vehicle crashes on state Highway 4 were from Contra Costa County, the California Highway Patrol said. (Shutterstock) MARTINEZ, CA — A Pinole man was one of two drivers killed in separate crashes Wednesday on state Highway 4 in Martinez, authorities said. The wet weather was definitely a factor in both fatal incidents, according to the California Highway Patrol. The CHP identified John Thomas, 33, of Pinole, as the driver of a 1999 Lexus sedan that went off westbound SR-4 at 3:51 p.m. Wednesday. The Lexus 300 had traveled into the shoulder area just east of Alhambra Avenue and struck a tree, causing major damage, the CHP said.