A pair of vehicle accidents claimed two lives on Monday evening, Sept. 11 as pedestrians were struck in separate locations just a couple of hours apart.
The California Highway Patrol investigated both incidents; a 20-year-old man and a 41-year-old woman were identified as the victims.
In the first case, along Patterson Road west of Kaufman, the crash was reported just before 8 p.m. Monday, the CHP receiving the call about 7:53 p.m.
Coming in as a vehicle vs. pedestrian crash, CHP officers arriving on scene found a male on the ground within the eastbound lane of Patterson Road being treated by emergency personnel.
The investigation showed that the man – identified Tuesday by the Stanislaus County Coroner’s Office as Steven Wayne Santora, 20, of Ceres – was walking within the roadway, westbound on Patterson west of Kaufman, and was struck by the right front of the vehicle. The 2011 Ford was westbound on Patterson Road and was driven by a 43-year-old Modesto man. He did not report any injuries and there was no arrest made. Santora succumbed to his injuries on scene The crash remains under investigation.
In the second case, a woman identified by the coroner’s office as Dora Cabrera Gomez, 41, of Oakdale was crossing the street from the south roadway edge toward the north roadway edge on State Route 108, east of Odessa Way on the west end of Oakdale, when she was struck by an eastbound vehicle traveling on the highway. The crash occurred just after 9:15 p.m., said CHP officers, and the driver of the vehicle, a 47-year-old man from Modesto, did not report any injuries. There was no arrest made. The man was driving a 2005 Cadillac Escalade. Emergency personnel responding to the scene found the victim laying in the two-way left turn lane between the eastbound and westbound lanes of State Route 108 east of Odessa Way. She was pronounced deceased on the scene. The crash remains under investigation.
The family has since set up a GoFundMe account to assist with funeral expenses. Here is the link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/dora-gomez?utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer&utm_campaign=p_cp_guide_do&member=29394121
