According to the California Highway Patrol, Rafael was walking in the northbound side of Washington Road when he was struck by a northbound Toyota SUV
Turlock, CA – A pedestrian who was hit and killed by a vehicle in the Turlock area last week on Monday has been identified by the Stanislaus County Coroner’s Office.
Jesus Perez Rafael, 52, of Turlock, died following the wreck that took place on Washington Road, south of Ehrlich Road at around 4:35 a.m. March 16, as per the coroner’s report.
According to the California Highway Patrol, Rafael was walking in the northbound side of Washington Road when he was struck by a northbound Toyota SUV.
Emergency responders declared Rafael deceased at the site of the accident.
The driver of the Toyota, Irene Rodriguez, 52, of Hilmar, was not injured and stayed at the scene. Authorities said there was no indication that alcohol or drugs played any role in the incident.
No further details on the crash have been released. The cause of the collision remains under investigation by the California Highway Patrol.
Original Story
Stanislaus County, CA – One person was killed in an auto-pedestrian collision that took place in Stanislaus County early Monday morning, according to the California Highway Patrol.
At about 4:35 a.m. March 16, authorities responded to the scene of the accident that occurred on Washington Road south of Ehrlich Road.
Investigators determined that a 52-year-old Turlock man was walking on northbound Washington Road when he was struck by a northbound SUV.
Energency crews responded to the scene and the pedestrian was declared deceased at the site of the collision. His name was not immediately released by the authorities.
The driver of the SUV, identified as Irene Rodriguez, was wearing her seatbelt and was not injured in the incident. Authorities reported that DUI was not a factor in the collision.
An investigation to establish the cause of the accident is still ongoing.
In 2023, Turlock reported 399 victims killed or injured in fatal and injury collisions, placing it 19th out of 103 similarly sized California cities, indicating a relatively high serious crash burden locally. Alcohol-involved collisions accounted for 39 victims, with drivers aged 21–34 contributing a large share. Speed-related collisions involved 44 victims, while 34 occurred at night (9 pm–2:59 am) — a period associated with impaired and unsafe driving. Vulnerable road user involvement included 20 pedestrians and 26 bicyclists killed or injured, with 7 child pedestrian victims, ranking 2nd statewide in that subset. Hit-and-run collisions resulted in 27 serious injury victims. Compared with 2022, when total serious collision victims were 422, the 2023 count shows a modest decline, though Turlock’s ranking remained in the upper tier among peers. These figures illustrate persistent traffic safety challenges, including alcohol, speed, and nighttime factors.
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