Another fatal hit-and-run. This time a bicyclist is killed in Modesto
A bicyclist was killed in a hit-and-run on the 3700 block of McHenry Avenue on Tuesday evening, according to the Modesto Police Department.
Investigators are asking for the public’s help in looking for a white, or light-colored, 2010 to 2013 model Kia Soul last seen traveling southbound on McHenry Avenue. The vehicle should have had damage to its windshield and passenger side, according to a police statement.
Police urge anyone who witnessed the collision or has any information regarding it to contact Kyle Johnson at Johnsonk@modestopd.com or Crime Stoppers at 209-521-4636.
Tuesday’s hit-and run is the fifth in Stanislaus county in the past month that resulted in a death and the second in the past 48 hours.
On Monday, Turlock resident Shane Hurst, 33, was killed on the 3100 block of West Christoffersen Parkway in Turlock. Police are looking for a 2003 to 2009 model, light-colored Hummer H2 described by witnesses as the vehicle involved in the collision. It was last seen going east on West Christoffersen Parkway immediately after the collision.
A 52-year-old Watsonville resident died after being struck by a vehicle near the intersection of Yosemite Boulevard/Highway 132 and Hazeldean Road near Modesto Reservoir on Oct. 31.
Michael Tucker, 44, was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer rig on the 1400 block of East Hatch Road, several hundred feet east of Highway 99.
A 59-year-old man was killed on Oct. 10 while crossing Standiford Avenue in North Modesto. Officers later arrested 21-year-old Isabelle Fernandez on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence.
Two of these collisions that occurred in Modesto specifically involved bicyclists, with one involving a pedestrian. All of them occurred while they were crossing a roadway in the dark, according to Sharon Bear, spokesperson for Modesto Police.
Bear stated that just because it was dark doesn’t mean those killed were at fault, but that pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers should take caution once the sun goes down.
“It is important for bicyclists and pedestrians to assume that cars may not see them and to exercise caution,” wrote Bear in a prepared statement. “Similarly, drivers need to keep their eyes on the road and yield to pedestrians and bicyclists.”
Modesto has consistently ranked among the worst for traffic crashes among its peer cities across the state in recent years, the Modesto Bee previously reported.
This story was originally published November 8, 2023 at 8:51 AM.
