Modesto man killed in crash involving deputy was father of 2-year-old
Saul Betancourt had just picked up his girlfriend at the end of her graveyard shift at a Newman nursing home Sunday morning when they were involved in a crash with a Stanislaus County sheriff’s deputy who was responding to to help an officer in Newman.
Betancourt, 21, died at the scene. His girlfriend, Maria Prado, 19, suffered a fractured hip, injuries to her colon and a severe concussion, according to Betancourt’s sister, Elizabeth Madrigal.
“She is very confused,” Madrigal said Monday. “Barely today, she started asking for my brother and the doctors had to give her the news (that he died).”
The couple share a 2-year-old daughter. They’d both lost their jobs last year due to the pandemic but were reentering the workforce, Madrigal said. She said Betancourt would have started a construction job in a few days and Prado had just finished her second shift at the nursing home.
The crash occurred at 7:13 a.m. at River Road and Villa Manucha Road, north of Newman. According to the California Highway Patrol, Betancourt and Prado were in a Chevrolet coupe on Villa Manucha and stopped at a stop sign at the “T” intersection. The Chevrolet then proceeded onto River Road, where it was hit by the deputy’s vehicle, which was traveling south. There is not a stop sign on River.
Prado’s cousin, who also works at the nursing home, was driving behind them and saw the crash, according to Madrigal. “The cousin said the (deputy’s) car came out of nowhere and that she never heard the sirens,” Madrigal said.
Deputy Eric Fulmer, a detective assigned to Patterson, was in an unmarked Nissan that is equipped with lights and siren.
CHP Officer Tom Olsen said a different witness reported seeing Fulmer’s vehicle just before the crash with his lights and siren on.
Stanislaus sheriff’s Sgt. Erich Layton said Fulmer radioed that he was responding to Newman Code 3, which means with lights and siren on.
It was foggy at the time of the crash. Olsen said it remains under investigation what the visibility was and how fast Fulmer was driving.
Prado had to undergo surgery, and so did Fulmer, who suffered a broken leg and other injuries. Both remained hospitalized Monday.
Madrigal said her family will forever be changed by Betancourt’s death. She described him as a loving father, son and partner who enjoyed fishing and spending time with his family.
“He was really goofy, he loved making people laugh, he was the person who kept everyone together,” she said.
Madrigal set up a GoFundMe account titled “Help pay for funeral arrangements.”
This story was originally published January 11, 2022 at 7:33 AM.
