By Tim Seyfert

A fiery one-car crash on Interstate 280 in Los Altos Hills last week claimed the life of a San Francisco resident, marking the second fatal accident to occur on that particular stretch of highway in just over a month.

Thomas Obenhuber, 48, was driving a 1998 Toyota Dec. 15 when he apparently lost control of the vehicle at around 6:45 p.m. while traveling north on I-280 near Magdalena Ave.

For unknown reasons, the vehicle veered down a grassy embankment and hit a tree, where it caught fire with Obenhuber still inside, the California Highway Patrol reported.

Prior to the collision, witnesses said, the car was traveling in the middle lane at a speed of about 80 mph when it suddenly crossed over onto the right-hand shoulder and turned into the embankment, according to an official report.

Responding firefighters declared the driver dead at the scene. Investigators were still looking into the cause of the accident.

The tragedy was preceded by a similar incident on the I-280 Nov. 13, involving an Isuzu Rodeo that overturned just south of El Monte Road, killing driver Hanh Do, 19, and passenger Amber Bazan, 16, both of San Jose. Do was apparently trying to change lanes to avoid a collision, according to reports.

Anyone with information on either accident is asked to contact the Redwood City California Highway Patrol office at 369-6261.