A 20-year-old man believed to be a student at Stanislaus State was struck by a vehicle Thursday night while crossing the street and has died from his injuries.
The man was identified as Benjamin Hudspeth of Turlock.
The accident happened around 9 p.m. at the intersection of Monte Vista Avenue and Del's Lane, which serves as the main entrance to the university.
The preliminary information suggests that Hudspeth was crossing W. Monte Vista Avenue near the intersection of Del's Lane against a red light. As he crossed the roadway, he was struck by a vehicle that was traveling westbound on W. Monte Vista Avenue, according to the Turlock Police Department's Major Accident Investigation Team.
Hudspeth appeared to have been in or near the crosswalk when he was struck. Alcohol and drugs do not appear to be a factor in this collision.
The driver of the vehicle has been cooperating with investigators. The driver also has a connection to the university, but it's unknown if it is as a student or staff member.
In a statement sent to students and staff Stanislaus State President Ellen Junn said: "There was a pedestrian fatality involving members of our campus community. Our sincere condolences go out to everyone involved."
Junn also provided information for counseling services for both students and staff.
The accident comes at a time when the Turlock Police Department and other city agencies are actively trying to reduce the number of traffic collisions and fatalities in the city.
The police department was recently awarded $110,000 from the California Office of Traffic Safety for a year-long program of special enforcements and public awareness efforts to prevent traffic related deaths and injuries.
The California Office of Traffic Safety examined traffic reports from 2013 for 103 like-sized cities and ranked them according to the rates of occurrences. Turlock was ranked 31st for collisions that resulted in fatalities or injuries, with 365 traffic collisions. For collision involving pedestrians Turlock was 44th with 22 collisions. Turlock was 40th for collisions involving bicyclists with 28 collisions, and 42nd in collisions involving motorcycles, with 12 collisions.
In 2015, there were 847 accidents in Turlock, an increase of 2 percent from 2014. The number of non-injury accidents was at 571, an increase of 6 percent from the year prior. There were 276 injury accidents in 2015, which is a 2 percent decrease from 2014. In 2015, Turlock saw two fatalities from traffic collisions, which is a 75 percent decrease from the year prior.
The police department plans on using the grant to fund a variety of educational and enforcement programs, including: Educational presentations; DUI checkpoints and saturation patrols; Bicycle and pedestrian safety enforcement; Motorcycle safety enforcement; Distracted driving enforcement; Seat belt and child safety seat enforcement; Speed, red light, and stop sign enforcement; Compilation of DUI “Hot Sheets,” identifying worst-of-the-worst DUI offenders; Specialized DUI and drugged driving training such as Standardized Field Sobriety Testing, Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement, and Drug Recognition Evaluator.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact Officer Mike Stapler at 209-668-5550 x 6683.
