Series of crashes, ending in a hit-and-run, kills Tracy man near Ripon

Authorities are looking for the driver of a vehicle that left the scene of a series of crashes that left one man dead and two women injured on Highway 99 early Saturday.

According to the California Highway Patrol, the incident was reported at 4:35 a.m. in the southbound lanes of the freeway near the Main Street exit in Ripon. The CHP has not released the names of those involved in the accidents.

A 2000 Chevrolet driven by a 20-year-old man from Tracy went off the road and hit an unoccupied 1999 Honda that was sitting on the shoulder with its hazard lights activated. The impact sent the Chevrolet into the center lane of the freeway, CHP Sgt. Jeremy Stewart said. The driver of the Chevrolet got out and stood on the right shoulder near the Honda.

“It’s not clear if he was checking on the occupants of the first car or just getting off the roadway,” Stewart said.

A third car, a 2012 Volkswagen driven by a 21-year-old woman from Tracy, came upon the scene. The driver, looking at the Chevrolet driver standing on the side of the road, did not see the car in the center lane and hit it. The Volkswagen and Chevrolet then came to rest in the center median. At that point, the driver of the Chevrolet walked from the shoulder onto the freeway, where he was hit by a fourth vehicle headed south on Highway 99. Authorities did not have a description of the last car, which left the scene, other than it was gray. And it was not clear whether other cars also hit the Chevrolet driver. He was declared dead at the scene.

The driver of the Volkswagen was taken to Kaiser Modesto Medical Center with moderate injuries. A passenger in her car, a 22-year-old woman from Tracy, was taken to Doctors Medical Center in Modesto with moderate injuries.

All lanes of the freeway were closed for roughly three hours as emergency responders cleared the area. Traffic backed up well into downtown Ripon.

Authorities are looking for the driver of the gray vehicle and any others that may have been involved. They ask anyone with information to contact the Stockton CHP office at 209-943-8600.

This story was originally published April 22, 2017 at 11:31 AM with the headline "Series of crashes, ending in a hit-and-run, kills Tracy man near Ripon."