Merced County law enforcement reports recent rise in pedestrian deaths

Pedestrian deaths in Merced County have spiked in recent months, law enforcement officials said Tuesday.

Two people died less than 24 hours apart over the weekend in Merced after they were struck by cars, the latest in a bad trend in the county.

The Merced County Sheriff’s Office coroner’s division investigated three times as many collisions in 2015 that resulted in a pedestrian death as in 2014.

The Sun-Star reported at least six pedestrian deaths in Merced County since November.

The California Highway Patrol reported Shaun Patrick Baum, 30, was fatally struck by a car on Nov. 7 while walking on Ashby Road in the Franklin-Beachwood area. The driver later turned himself in.

Merced police investigated their first pedestrian death of 2015 at the end of November. Josh Munoz, a 25-year-old Merced man, was fatally struck Nov. 26 on Santa Fe Drive. The driver initially fled before turning himself in to police days later.

In the first week of December, the CHP reported Sharon Rene Seastrunk, 51, was fatally struck in Merced. The driver in that incident also fled. Two days after Seastrunk died, a Livingston man in his 60s who was walking along Hammett Avenue near a gas station was hit by a car. He died soon after.

Officers in different agencies identified different factors leading to pedestrian deaths and said there’s no pattern in the recent uptick.

In Merced, 16th Street between O and V streets seems to be an area prone to accidents involving pedestrians, Merced police Lt. Jay Struble said. A high transient population, alcohol use and numerous motels contribute to the issue, he said.

On Saturday, a woman believed to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol – possibly both – walked into the middle of Highway 59 near Bear Creek, Struble said.

Police say autopsy reports and toxicology tests are pending.

Another man was killed Friday when he was struck by a vehicle in the 800 block of West 16th Street in Merced. Surveillance video shows the driver getting out of the car after the crash and moving the victim before fleeing, police said.

Neither the victim nor the suspect had been identified as of Tuesday.

Struble said officers receive calls daily about people walking in roads, walking out in front of traffic and walking in center divides and medians.

“The biggest part is that pedestrians need to realize they don’t have the right of way,” Struble said. “A lot of people think, no matter what, the pedestrian has the right of way, but that’s not the case. Pedestrians can’t walk out in the middle of the road in front of a car traveling 40 mph and expect the car to stop.”

CHP spokesman Moises Onsurez also said many homeless people become victims in pedestrian deaths, particularly on rural roads. He recommends pedestrians avoid walking in or along roads when wearing dark clothing.

The Sheriff’s Office investigated nine crashes involving pedestrian deaths in 2015, up from three in 2014. Sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Delray Shelton said in some cases weather conditions may contribute to pedestrian deaths.

But, ultimately, safety requires teamwork, he said. “As much as we caution drivers, we caution pedestrians,” Shelton said. “When we have both parties watching out, it helps ensure safety.”

Struble, of the Merced police, said pedestrians can simply use crosswalks to prevent a fatal situation: “It could be worth your life to walk an extra 50 feet.”

This story was originally published January 19, 2016 at 6:27 PM with the headline "Merced County law enforcement reports recent rise in pedestrian deaths."