Alcohol possible factor in two Modesto wrecks that injure pedestrian, driver

Two men – one a pedestrian and the other a driver – escaped major injuries in separate wrecks within 30 minutes of each other in Modesto on Monday night.

Alcohol may have played a factor in each incident.

At about 6:45 p.m., a man walking in the road on McHenry Avenue near West Union Avenue was struck by a vehicle heading south.

The pedestrian suffered moderate injuries, according to Lt. Ivan Valencia.

The driver, who was estimated to be traveling at or below the speed limit, remained on scene and cooperated with police.

It was not immediately known what direction the pedestrian was crossing the street – if he was crossing from the east or walk into the southbound lanes from the west.

Valencia said alcohol may have been a factor with regard to the pedestrian.

About 30 minutes later, a 45-year-old man traveling north on Sutter Avenue lost control of his sports utility vehicle and struck an unoccupied parked pickup.

His SUV rolled on its side, leaving him in the vehicle but his arm pinned beneath it. Crews with the Modesto Fire Department – Engine 1, Rescue 1 and Battalion 1 – performed detailed work to extricate him.

“It was challenging in that his arm was pinned under the vehicle,” said Battalion Chief Tim Tietjen.

He said his crews had to stabilize the vehicle, use airbags to lift it to get the man’s arm out from under it before using cutters and spreaders to pull back the roof.

The man was taken to a nearby hospital, suffering from a fractured arm, according to Valencia.

Valencia said alcohol may have been a factor in the crash.

Blanca Maciel, whose pickup was struck, was at the movies when she got word of the wreck from her parents.

When she arrived home, she found her pickup about 70 feet from where it had been parked.

This story was originally published February 6, 2017 at 10:10 PM with the headline "Alcohol possible factor in two Modesto wrecks that injure pedestrian, driver."