Merced man, believed to have been drinking, dies in Keyes area collision, CHP reports
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A Merced man died from his injuries after a crash Saturday night east of Keyes, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The two-car collision occurred about 10:10 p.m. on East Keyes Road where it intersects Mountain View Road.
The preliminary investigation indicates the Merced man, Jose M. Reyes Morales, was stopped on southbound Mountain View at the intersection’s stop sign. Driving a 2009 Toyota Camry, he pulled into the path of a 1998 Toyota 4Runner westbound on Keyes Road, driven by Favio Valencia Jr. of Patterson, the CHP reported. There are no stop signs on Keyes Road at the intersection.
The Camry was struck on the driver’s side, and Reyes had to be extricated from the car. He died at Memorial Medical Center in Modesto.
Valencia also was taken to Memorial. The CHP listed his injuries as minor. The ages of the men were not available.
The collision remains under investigation, and alcohol consumption by Reyes appears to have been a factor, the CHP reported.
The news release on the collision said almost 30 people in the United States die in drunk-driving crashes every day. “That is one person every 50 minutes, claiming more than 10,000 lives per year, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics from 2018.”
