Children’s art wall damaged in police pursuit. Stanislaus County city plans restoration
A decades-old wall made from children’s art that guarded an Oakdale playground was damaged during a police pursuit Sunday, according to officials.
A pursuit started by the Oakdale Police Department ended when a white pickup truck crashed into a tiled wall at Dorada Park at about 12:45 p.m.. Pictures from the scene show a black sedan with front-end damage and the white pickup, which appears to have been T-boned.
The impact of the pickup cracked tiles and damaged the wall. It was unclear as of Monday afternoon which of the two vehicles police were pursuing. Oakdale police did not respond Monday to a request for information on the pursuit and crash.
One patient was treated for moderate injuries and then taken to a local hospital by an ambulance. Three others declined treatment, according to the Modesto Fire Department.
A Facebook post made by the city of Oakdale stated that it “recognized the historical nature of this wall and will do everything it can to restore it to its original form.”
“Our staff has collected the tile pieces that were on scene. We are currently assessing the condition of the wall and will develop a plan to have it repaired and restored,” read the city’s post. “As soon as that plan has been finalized we will share that with the community.”
The art wall dates back to when the park opened in 1993. A Facebook user named Sam Greenlee said one of the tiles on the wall was painted by him when he was a child and that his own kids had played at the park several times.
“I’m grateful that this wall was there to absorb the impact as the truck was otherwise headed straight into the playground on a beautiful day when I’m sure kids were playing,” Greenlee commented. “Looking again at the design of the intersection and that area of the park, it’s worrying to see that this wall is genuinely the first barrier to a car from that intersection.”
Greenlee also complained about the intersection’s safety, writing that it would be nice if there were other barriers separating the children’s play area and the road.
“I hope that funding will eventually allow Oakdale to implement traffic calming measures on these roads,” reads Greenlee’s comment. “A Street and 2nd Ave are both so wide that the engineering effectively encourages high speeds even if the posted speed limit does not.”
Greenlee suggested that a planted center divider could shrink down the travel lanes, slowing traffic and providing a safe place for pedestrians to pause when crossing the road if needed.
This story was originally published November 25, 2024 at 4:00 PM.
