CHP seeks VW driver in Turlock-area hit-and-run collision that badly injured motorcyclist
A motorcyclist suffered major injuries Tuesday morning after being struck by a driver on a rural road a few miles southwest of Turlock, according to the California Highway Patrol. The driver fled the scene.
Merced resident Rodrick Baker Jr., 45, was airlifted to Doctors Medical Center in Modesto.
A news release states the CHP’s preliminary investigation shows Baker was heading west on Bradbury Road on a 2022 Yamaha motorcycle and was behind a car as they both approached Commons Road.
“The driver of the sedan entered the north shoulder of the road before making a sharp U-turn directly toward the Yamaha,” according to the release. “The front of the sedan broadsided the right side of the Yamaha, causing Mr. Baker to be ejected onto the roadway.”
The release states the sedan driver fled east on Bradbury Road.
“We don’t believe it’s an intentional act at this point,” CHP Officer Tom Olsen said Wednesday. “It’s not uncommon for people to turn their vehicles in that manner.”
But Olsen emphasized this is a felony hit-and-run.
The release states evidence at the scene indicates the sedan could be a dark blue or gray Volkswagen Jetta. It should have front-end damage. Olsen said investigators found a Jetta grill at the scene.
The incident was reported to the CHP at about 6:30 a.m. Anyone with information regarding the hit-and-run is asked to call CHP Officer Blake Mitchell at 209-545-7440.
