Driver and passenger escape injury after vehicle crashes into Merced’s Bear Creek

A section of North Bear Creek Drive is closed in Merced as emergency crews work to remove a vehicle from the creek.

At 1:07 p.m. Wednesday officers responded to a report of a vehicle collision into Bear Creek in the area of West North Bear Creek Drive and R Street, according to Merced Police Officer Craig McKeeman.

Police said a Chrysler 300 sedan occupied by a male driver and a female passenger, both believed to be in their 20s and from Merced, was traveling westbound on West North Bear Creek Drive when the vehicle left the roadway and entered the creek.

According to McKeeman, the occupants were reportedly having an argument prior to the collision. Both occupants were able to escape the vehicle without injury and refused medical transport by Riggs Ambulance Service.

The vehicle appeared to have drifted a couple hundred yards downstream after entering the creek, coming to a rest near Pira Drive, McKeeman said.

According to police, neither drugs nor alcohol appear to be a factor in the collision.

Motorists can expect West North Bear Creek Drive to be closed between Pira Drive and Creekside Drive until about 3 p.m. as crews work to remove the vehicle from the creek, police said.

This story was originally published June 2, 2021 at 2:48 PM.