Police continue to investigate crash after four people ejected from pickup truck

Merced Police continue to investigate a crash in which a pickup truck with nine occupants overturned, leaving one woman in critical condition.

At about 2:15 a.m. Oct. 20, officers responded to the area of G Street and Mandeville Lane for a report of an overturned pickup truck, according to Merced Police Sgt. Nathan McKinnon. When officers arrived on the scene, they found a Toyota pickup truck that had overturned several times with a female pinned beneath the truck.

According to McKinnon, nine occupants, all aged 18, were riding in the truck southbound on G Street at speeds believed to be in excess of 55 mph. Authorities said it appears the driver of the truck made an unsafe turning maneuver on the roadway, which caused the vehicle to overturn multiple times ejecting four people from the bed of the truck.

McKinnon said there were six males and three females in the truck at the time of the collision, and all eight passengers were University of California, Merced, students. Police said the driver of the vehicle was not a UC Merced student and was in town visiting at the time of the crash.

Police did not release the driver’s name.

According to McKinnon, several occupants were transported to area hospitals for treatment of injuries. One was transported to a Modesto-area hospital by ground ambulance, and the woman officers found pinned beneath the truck was flown to a Modesto area trauma center with critical injuries.

Authorities said neither drugs nor alcohol appears to be a factor in the crash, which remains under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact Officer McKeeman at 209-388-7752.