Suspected DUI crash on Highway 99 pins man between truck and trailer, CHP says
A driver has been arrested and a Manteca man was flown to the hospital with major injuries Tuesday morning following a suspected DUI hit-and-run collision in Merced County, according to authorities.
At about 1:19 a.m. California Highway Patrol officers responded to southbound Highway 99 north of Collier Road for a collision involving two vehicles and a trailer, according to Officer Eric Zuniga.
Zuniga said a 25-year-old Manteca man was driving a 2021 Dodge Ram towing a utility trailer southbound on Highway 99 when he safely pulled over to the right shoulder to inspect the trailer hitch. A passenger in the vehicle, identified as 24-year-old Seth Lemmons of Turlock, remained in the vehicle, according to authorities.
The Manteca man was between the vehicle and the trailer checking the connection when a 2006 Honda Accord driven southbound by 23-year-old Alexis Ramirez of Turlock, struck the back of the trailer, according to the CHP. The collision caused the trailer to be pushed forward, pinning the driver between the rear of the truck and the front of the trailer, the CHP said.
Following the collision, Ramirez fled the scene on foot traveling west of Highway 99, north of Collier Road. With assistance from witnesses and the Merced County Sheriff’s Office, he was later located hiding in a grass field, according to the CHP.
The Manteca man suffered major injuries and was transported to Memorial Medical Center in Modesto in critical condition, according to Zuniga. Lemmons complained of pain and refused transport. Zuniga said Ramirez suffered minor injuries consistent with the collision and based on officer observations, a field sobriety test was conducted.
He was transported to an area hospital and after medical clearance he was booked into Merced County Jail on suspicion of felony driving under the influence of alcohol/drugs causing bodily injury, DUI .08 alcohol causing bodily injury and hit-and-run resulting in death or injury, according to jail records.
The collision remains under investigation, according to the CHP.