Pedestrian struck by vehicle suffers serious injuries, Merced police say

Police are investigating after a vehicle struck and injured a pedestrian in Merced on Tuesday night, according to authorities.

At about 8:42 p.m., officers responded to a collision involving a vehicle and a pedestrian at the intersection of M Street and West Olive Avenue, according to Merced police Sgt. Nathan McKinnon.

McKinnon said a 63-year-old Merced man who is partially blind, was crossing M Street in the crosswalk when he was struck by a Nissan Sentra turning right on to M Street from the eastbound lane of West Olive Avenue. The right front of the vehicle struck the man knocking him to the ground.

Police said the pedestrian was transported to an area trauma center with serious but not life-threatening injuries.

Authorities said the driver of the Nissan, 22-year-old Juan Mata, remained on scene and was cooperative with officers.

McKinnon said neither drugs nor alcohol appear to be factor in the collision, which remains under investigation.

Anyone with information regarding the collision is asked to contact Officer Crain at 209-388-7754 or by email at crainl@cityofmerced.org.