Safety improvements considered at site of fatal Turlock crash. Update on family member
Stanislaus County officials have begun communications with the state about possible traffic controls at the site of a crash south of Turlock last month that resulted in five deaths.
The horrific crash occurred Dec. 15 at Highway 165 and Greenway Avenue, claiming the lives of Turlock residents Daniel and Jennifer Lourenco, their 16-year-old daughter, Maddie, and 14-year-old son, Matthew. The couple’s 19-year-old daughter, Emma, remains hospitalized and is making strides each day, a family spokesman said Thursday.
The driver of the other vehicle, 22-year-old Uriel Guizar-Negrete of Modesto, also was killed.
The CHP is continuing an investigation into the major incident and has not released additional details.
The Lourencos’ Jeep vehicle was westbound on Greenway Avenue and stopped at the stop sign at Highway 165 (or Lander Avenue). There are no stop signs on the state highway. The Jeep entered the intersection in front of a 2008 Infinity driven by Guizar-Negrete and was struck on the left side.
In a news release, CHP said the Infiniti was traveling “at a high rate of speed,” but officials have not released an estimated rate. The Lourenco family was said to be heading to Mass at a Catholic church at Greenway and South Walnut Road. Driver Daniel Lourenco was attempting to cross the intersection, consisting of two traffic lanes and a left-turn lane.
Local residents have commented about other crashes at the same location. County Supervisor Vito Chiesa, who represents the Turlock area, said Wednesday that he received inquiries after the crash about a need for safety improvements at the intersection.
Chiesa said the public feedback was passed to county Public Works staff, who asked the state Department of Transportation about any projects slated for the intersection. The county is waiting for a definitive response from Caltrans.
The county, which has responsibility for Greenway Avenue, has no current plans for changes at the intersection but provided traffic volume counts to the state and offered assistance.
Chiesa said he will bring the matter up at the Stanislaus Council of Governments meeting next Wednesday. A traffic signal seems more plausible than a four-way stop at the intersection, he said.
“We will have a conversation with (the state) and hopefully we can get something done,” the supervisor said.
This story was originally published January 9, 2025 at 11:12 AM.
