Turlock crash kills 11-year-old, injures 4 others. Driver initially fled, police say
An 11-year-old girl died after a hit-and-run collision Sunday at Lander and Linwood avenues in south Turlock, police said. A suspect was arrested Monday.
The girl who died was identified as Yareli Lopez by the Stanislaus County Coroner’s Office. She was a sixth-grader at Wakefield School, the Turlock Unified School District said.
The driver responsible for her death is Josue Leyva, 25, of Turlock, a news release from the Turlock Police Department said. He fled on foot after the accident but later turned himself in to face vehicular manslaughter and other charges, police said.
The accident, reported at 5:22 p.m., was the second of two involving Leyva is a short period late Sunday afternoon, the release said. In the first, his Ford sport utility vehicle struck a Harley Davidson motorcycle on the 1600 block of Lander, causing moderate injuries to the male driver, police said.
Yareli was a passenger in a Honda Civic that collided with the SUV, police said. She was taken by ambulance to a local hospital, where she died. Four other people in the Civic had minor injuries.
“Our site administrators (at Wakefield) are working with family and will provide support services for our students and staff,” district spokeswoman Marie Russell said by email.
The scene of the fatal accident was closed for nearly seven hours while investigators collected evidence with help from the Modesto Police Department.
Preliminary results show that high speed was a factor in both collisions, but it is not known if alcohol or drugs were involved as well, the release said.
Leyva voluntarily came to TPD headquarters Monday morning for an interview, police said. He was later arrested on a charge of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, along with two charges of hit-and-run causing injury.
Leyva was to be booked at the Stanislaus County Jail, but he was not on its online log as of 4 p.m. Monday.
The investigation is ongoing. People with information can call Officer Gregory Roton at 209-668-6536. They can also use the department’s Tip Line at 209-668-5550, extension 6780, or tpdtipline@turlock.ca.us.
This story was originally published November 9, 2020 at 4:33 PM.
