Rain, speed a dangerous combination on Modesto area roads, resulting in several crashes
Mother Nature made good on meteorologists’ predictions, dropping nearly three-quarters of an inch of rain in Modesto as of early afternoon Tuesday. Combined with what fell Monday, the area has received 0.69 inches, with more to come.
The wet roads, combined with speeding and other behavior unsafe given the conditions, contributed to several collisions on Election Day.
About 9:15 a.m., officers with the California Highway Patrol’s Modesto office responded to their first — hopefully only — major-injury crash of the day. It occurred at the Standiford Avenue off-ramp of Highway 99 and involved a vehicle “wrapped around a tree,” according to the CHP online incident page.
CHP Modesto office spokesman Officer Tom Olsen said the driver, a 25-year-old Modesto man, was able to extricate himself from the 2008 Lexus sedan. He was taken by ambulance to a trauma center. “Speed appears to have been a factor,” Olsen told The Bee.
The CHP-Modesto posted on Facebook at 8:30 a.m.: “WE VOTE TO SLOW DOWN: It has already been a very busy morning for the CHP-Modesto. Every crash we have responded to involves unsafe speed. The California Highway Patrol would like to remind all motorists to slow down and get to your destination safely.”
The post included a photo of a van on its side in an empty (except for rainwater) canal in the Westley area. The driver was southbound on Howard Road, approaching the T intersection at Frank Cox Road, Olsen told The Bee. The driver went right through the intersection and into the canal. He was uninjured.
The National Weather Service forecast for Modesto said up to half an inch of rain was possible Tuesday. In an email Tuesday morning, the weather service said Modesto could see up to an inch of rain by Wednesday morning.
It also warned of winds up to 40 mph, which could mean downed trees and limbs, localized power outages and difficult driving conditions.
The outlook for Wednesday is a 30% chance of showers before 10 a.m., then mostly sunny, with a high near 56.
Thursday, Friday and Saturday are expected to be dry and mostly clear. A slight chance of showers is predicted for Sunday and Monday, the weather service’s seven-day forecast says.
This story was originally published November 8, 2022 at 8:56 AM.
