Modesto police report 19th fatal traffic accident this year after driver hits pedestrian
A man was killed after being hit by a vehicle Friday night on Orangeburg Avenue, making him the 19th person this year to die in a Modesto traffic accident, according to police.
Lt. Joe Bottoms said Saturday morning the 64-year-old pedestrian was a Modesto resident. He declined to release the man’s name, saying his family had not yet been notified. Bottoms said reports state the driver initially left the scene.
Sgt. Kalani Souza, a department spokesman, said police have identified the driver and the investigation continues. He said the accident involves a dark-colored SUV or truck that was westbound on Orangeburg Avenue at Nelson Avenue. No other details about the accident were immediately available.
Orangeburg and Nelson are between McHenry and Sunset avenues. Bottoms said the incident occurred about 7:15 p.m. He said authorities closed that section of Orangeburg for about three hours as they investigated.
Bottoms said this was the 19th fatal traffic accident in Modesto this year.
The California Office of Traffic Safety ranked Modesto worst among its peer cities for traffic crashes for 2019, which is the latest year for the OTS rankings. The 2019 ranking placed Modesto among 59 California cities with 100,000 to 250,000 residents.
The OTS rankings look at about a dozen types of accidents, including drivers hitting pedestrians or bicyclists, fatal crashes, DUI crashes, hit-and-run and speed-related incidents. Modesto was fourth worst for crashes involving pedestrians and fifth worst for hit-and-run crashes resulting in death or injury.
