Next of kin sought for man killed on road near Le Grand

The search continued Sunday for the family of a man struck and killed by a vehicle earlier in the week in a crash involving a Merced County supervisor.

Marco Antonio Delgado, 33, was the pedestrian struck by a car on Doppler Road north of Le Grand on Tuesday evening, according to the Merced County Coroner’s Office.

Authorities said the driver of the truck that hit Delgado, Merced County Supervisor John Pedrozo, did not see Delgado, who was wearing dark clothing and no shirt, until it was too late to avoid hitting him. A second vehicle then struck Delgado, who was declared dead at the scene.

Attempts to find next of kin for Delgado have failed, authorities said in a news release.

Neither alcohol nor drugs were believed to have been factors in the crash, according to the California Highway Patrol, the agency investigating the case.

Investigators have said visibility was likely an issue for both drivers who struck the pedestrian. Officers have noted it was nearly dark and the pedestrian was wearing dark clothing, and said that area of the roadway does not have streetlights.

Officer Moises Onsurez on Sunday said the investigation into the collision remained ongoing.

“It’s a fatal collision, so it could take anywhere from two or three weeks to four to six months or more,” Onsurez said. “It all depends on how the investigation progresses and what information is found.”

To protect the investigation, Onsurez said he could not comment on any specific actions or steps taken by officers examining the case.

“I can say that, other than the people interviewed at the scene, we’ve received no phone calls or information from the public about this case,” Onsurez said. “As with every case, if anyone has information they think is relevant to the case, we’d like them to contact us.”

Pedrozo, 57, issued a brief statement after the crash, describing the incident as an “unavoidable tragedy” and expressing his condolences to the victim’s family.

This story was originally published June 5, 2015 at 4:45 PM with the headline "Next of kin sought for man killed on road near Le Grand."