Woman killed in Atwater running from DUI arrest may have been struck by additional vehicle
The California Highway Patrol is asking for the public’s assistance following an investigation of a fatal traffic collision that left a Merced County woman dead.
Authorities said they initially believed 26-year-old Merced resident Carol Gisel Sanchez, was killed when she was struck by at least two vehicles on southbound Highway 99, north of Franklin Road, after fleeing a traffic stop on foot shortly after 8:40 p.m. March 20, near Atwater.
According to a CHP news release, the Central Division Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team determined that an additional vehicle or vehicles were involved in the collision. Investigators want to know more about those vehicles and are hoping someone from the public will come forward with additional information.
“We’re looking for a larger-size vehicle, possibly a full-size truck or big rig,” CHP Officer Eric Zuniga said. “If anyone from the public was in the area at the time and could even possibly have information, we’d like to hear from them.”
Sanchez was pulled over on the evening of March 20, for a DUI investigation, according to the CHP. After the officer smelled alcohol and radioed for backup, Sanchez ran across northbound traffic lanes, officers said.
The officer pursued the woman on foot when she ran across southbound lanes and then back toward northbound lanes where she was struck by a vehicle. Authorities said that vehicle was then struck by another vehicle. Sanchez died at the scene. No other injuries were reported.
According to Merced County Superior Court records, Sanchez had a history of DUI arrests, including a conviction in 2012 in which her driver’s license was revoked. She was arrested in October and again in December of last year on separate DUI charges. Just three weeks before she was killed, Sanchez appeared in court on DUI charges and was ordered by a commissioner to “totally abstain from the use of alcohol” and not to drive without a license.
The California Highway Patrol asks anyone with information or anyone who witnessed or was involved in the collision, to contact the Merced CHP Area Office at 209-356-6600 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Merced Communications Center can be called after hours at 209-356-2900.