A vehicle vs. pedestrian accident and a dirt bike vs. pick-up truck collision resulted in the deaths of two Escalon residents during the past week.
Both incidents were investigated by the California Highway Patrol.
On Friday morning, April 14 at about 6 a.m., a 55-year-old Escalon woman was struck and suffered fatal injuries while she was walking eastbound on Kelly Road. She was identified by the San Joaquin County Coroner’s Office as Cherise Babb.
Authorities said a 35-year-old Escalon woman, who was wearing her seatbelt, was driving a 2018 Nissan eastbound on Kelly, west of Steinegul Road, in the eastbound lane, traveling at about 45 mph. The truck was approaching the pedestrian, Babb, who was walking eastbound on Kelly Road, in the far right-hand portion of the eastbound lane. The right front of the vehicle struck Babb. The driver stopped and called 9-1-1 and remained on scene. CHP officers said drugs and alcohol are not suspected to be a cause of the crash. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Stockton CHP office at 209-938-4800.
Earlier in the week, a collision along Highway 120 at 26-Mile Road outside Oakdale involved a dirt bike and a pick-up truck.
The CHP report indicates officers received a call of a traffic collision shortly before 8:15 p.m. on Wednesday, April 12. Emergency personnel arriving on scene located a dirt bike and pick-up truck with collision damage. The driver of the 2003 Honda dirt bike, identified by the Stanislaus County Coroner’s Office as Edgar Manzo-Mendoza, 20, of Escalon, was taken by ambulance to Memorial Medical Center in Modesto where he later succumbed to his injuries. The passenger, 16-year-old Eugenio Mendez of Riverbank, was taken to Memorial Medical Center with moderate injuries. The driver of the 1996 Ford pick-up truck, a 22-year-old Oakdale man, was wearing his seatbelt and was not injured in the collision.
The preliminary CHP investigation indicated Manzo-Mendoza was driving the dirt bike westbound on Highway 120, approaching 26-Mile Road. The driver of the pick-up, southbound on 26-Mile Road, stopped at the stop sign at Highway 120 and both vehicles proceeded into the intersection, where a broadside collision occurred. Both the driver and rider were ejected from the dirt bike. Neither was wearing a helmet at the time of the collision. An inspection of the Honda also revealed it was not legal to ride on a highway. Specifically, noted the CHP report, the Honda dirt bike did not have any required lighting to the front of the bike. It is unknown if alcohol or drugs contributed to this collision.
