Merced police release officers’ names in separate patrol car vs. pedestrian fatal crashes

The Merced Police Department this week released the names of the officers involved in two separate fatal vehicle versus pedestrian crashes.

In the first crash, police say Officer Chase Wilson on April 7 was driving a marked patrol vehicle in the 1400 block of G Street, when he struck Josefa Blandon, 82, of Merced, killing her. Wilson is a five year veteran of the department.

In the other crash, reported three days later on April 10, Officer David Flores has been identified as the driver. Police say Flores, who has worked for the department just over a year, was responding to a report of a pedestrian who had been struck by a vehicle on G Street just north of 18th Street.

When Flores arrived on scene, his patrol vehicle struck the pedestrian, who was already lying in the roadway after being hit by the initial vehicle. The man, whose identity has not been released by the coroner’s office, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Merced Police Chief Tom Cavallero told the Sun-Star that he and members of the department’s command staff met Blandon’s family this past week to express their condolences and offer apologies.“They were exceedingly gracious, warm and I would even go as far as saying understanding,” Cavallero said.

In the meantime, the California Highway Patrol is investigating the April 7 crash that killed Blandon, while Merced police conduct an administrative investigation.

In the April 10 incident, Merced police are investigating the initial vehicle that struck the pedestrian (the driver of that vehicle pulled over into a nearby alley). For that incident, CHP is investigating the crash that happened after Officer Flores struck the pedestrian who was lying in the roadway. Merced police are also conducting an administrative investigation in that incident.

“Whenever we have a serious collision involving one of our patrol cars or city vehicle, we have an agreement with the CHP to come in and investigate that so it’s completely independent,” Cavallero explained.

Many details surrounding both collisions remain unclear, as police wait on results of the investigations.

According to the department, both police vehicles involved were newer and had not yet been equipped with dashboard-mounted cameras. According to Cavallero, the cameras are designed to begin recording when the officer activates the vehicle’s emergency equipment.

A commonality between the two collisions, Cavallero said, is both occurred during hours of darkness, although it hasn’t been confirmed that was a factor. “I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility that lighting can be an issue,” said Cavallero.

Cavallero said that it is likely the organization could see some sort of an awareness campaign and reminder for those who operate vehicles within the department.

What that campaign would entail is unknown at this time. “It’s unfortunate it takes these sort of things for us to look at our own habits and what we do,” he said.

Cavallero said he hopes such incidents cause people to reflect on how they operate vehicles and use the roadways. The department has recently placed an emphasis on traffic safety and it’s important for everyone to share the roadways whether they are a pedestrian, bicyclist or a motorist, Cavallero said.

“I think people can empathize and understand how things happen. But that’s not to say that there’s not a way that we can help get those numbers down,” Cavallero said. “Not just in the police department but overall. Traffic safety has really been a campaign that we’ve put a lot of emphasis on lately.”

“We all need to be able to share these common spaces in the safest way possible,” Cavallero added.

Both officers remain on paid administrative leave.

This story was originally published April 15, 2022 at 5:00 AM.