Merced deputy, Coulterville man hurt in Ceres crash

A Coulterville man and a Merced County sheriff’s deputy were injured Wednesday evening in a collision.

According to Ceres police Sgt. Chris Perry, Merced County sheriff’s deputy Adam Deniz was heading home from work when the crash occurred. Deniz was driving in a marked patrol car south on Mitchell Road when his vehicle collided with a compact car driven by Michael Dizney, 69, of Coulterville. The crash was reported at 6:54 p.m. in the 3900 block of Mitchell.

The preliminary investigation indicated Dizney was pulling out of the parking lot of the Arco gas station when the collision occurred.

Dizney was ejected from the driver’s side of the car. Officers found him in the road with severe head injuries, according to a news release. Both drivers were taken to area hospitals for treatment. Late Wednesday, Dizney was listed in stable condition and the deputy was being treated “for precautionary purposes,” the release said.

As of Thursday morning, Dizney remained hospitalized with a broken leg, broken nose, and bruises and cuts. He was expected to recover. Deniz suffered pain in his wrist and was treated and released.

A sheriff’s K-9 in the deputy’s car did not appear to have been injured. A Stanislaus County sheriff’s K-9 deputy went to the crash scene and took custody of the dog.

Northbound Mitchell Road was closed between Service Road and Don Pedro Road while authorities investigated the incident. It was reopened at 10:45 p.m.

Police are looking for witnesses to the crash. Authorities ask anyone with information to call Officer Keith Kitcher at (209) 538-5620 or Officer Jason Coley at (209) 538-5678.

This story was originally published January 8, 2015 at 6:34 AM with the headline "Merced deputy, Coulterville man hurt in Ceres crash."