Man struck and killed by big rig on Merced County Highway identified

The Merced County Sheriff Coroner’s Office has identified a man struck and killed by a semi-truck in Merced County earlier this month as 24-year-old Spencer Marrujo of Inglewood.

Authorities said California Highway Patrol Officers responded to the crash involving UPS semi-truck and a pickup truck on northbound Highway 99 just south of Atwater Boulevard at 10:20 p.m. on May 6. The arriving officers found a Marrujo deceased in the roadway and a woman who had major injuries.

The CHP said a truck bed camper detached from the 1979 Chevrolet Silverado Marrujo was driving north on Highway 99. The camper fell into the right lane of the highway and the CHP said it appeared Marrujo stopped the vehicle in the right lane and got out to try and move the camper to the shoulder of the road.

Both Marrujo and the camper were struck by a 2023 Kenworth big rig driven by a 38-year-old Visalia man who was driving in the right northbound lane. Authorities said the big rig then struck the Chevrolet, pushing the truck into the left lane of the highway.

The CHP said the 28-year-old Coarsegold woman found lying in the roadway, was flown to a Modesto hospital and remains in stable condition. The driver of the big rig was transported to a local hospital for treatment of moderate injuries.

The crash remains under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact Investigating Officer Nicholas Thornton at 209-356-6600.