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POSTED
March 15, 2013 8:30 p.m.
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A 17-year-old Turlock boy died in a traffic collision Tuesday night on W. Monte Vista Avenue.
The deceased was identified by the Stanislaus County Coroner’s Office as Alex Miranda.
The collision happened just before 9 p.m. Tuesday at the intersection of W. Monte Vista Avenue and N. Walnut Road.
Miranda was a passenger in a Nissan Sentra that was traveling east on Monte Vista.
A Cadillac Escalade, driven by an adult woman, was traveling westbound on Monte Vista and had a green light at the Walnut Road intersection, according to the Turlock Police Department.
The Nissan, driven by a 19-year-old man, turned left onto Walnut on a circular green light and was broadsided by the Cadillac, the police department reported.
Miranda was sitting in the backseat of the Nissan and sustained severe head trauma in the collision. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival, police spokesperson Officer Mayra Lewis said.
The 19-year-old driver and a 23-year-old man riding in the front passenger seat of the Nissan, both sustained major injuries, but neither was considered life-threatening, according to the police report. Both were transported to area hospitals.
The occupants of the Cadillac were not injured in the crash.
Drugs, alcohol, and speed do not appear to be factors in this collision.
Miranda previously attended Turlock High School and more recently enrolled at Denair Charter Academy.
While at Turlock High School, Miranda was known for his prowess on the soccer field as a goalkeeper.
“He was a good kid, very respectful,” said Rafael Campos, who coached Miranda in soccer during his sophomore year. “(He) played very well and made a difference for the team.”
Miranda was also remembered by his friends as a talented musician capable of playing several instruments.
Dear Editor,
It is so sad that a boy died today from an automobile crash at the corner of Monte Vista and Walnut St. when it could have been prevented. I have complained about the poor operation of this traffic light for the last 8 months, by phone calls and personally going to the city offices and speaking with its traffic director about it. I went again today and told him a person is now dead because of the way the light operates. It still needs to be corrected. The problem is, it looks green for you then turns red for you, but stays green for on-coming traffic, so you assume that you can safely complete your left turn in front of them. This misconception has been the cause of many collisions at this and other traffic light locations in Turlock, and now as I had feared, a resulting death. Everyone ever involved in a collision at this location that I spoke with said they thought it was O.K. to complete their turn after it turned red for them. Now a poor boy is dead. The city must take responsibility to fix this. To date, I have been ignored. When will they wake up and fix this traffic light. Turlock is the only city in California that I know of that has its traffic lights designed this way. The city needs to change them, or there will be more victims!
Sincerely,
Gary E. Sims