Dirt bike rider dies, teen passenger hurt in collision with pickup truck in Oakdale area
An Escalon dirt bike rider died and his passenger suffered moderate injuries as the result of a collision with a pickup truck north of Oakdale on Wednesday night, the California Highway Patrol reported.
The crash was at about 8:10 p.m. on Highway 120 at 26 Mile Road. First responders found the 2003 Honda cycle and a 1996 Ford pickup bith with crash damage.
The 20-year-old driver of the dirt bike was taken by ambulance to Memorial Medical Center in Modesto. where he later died from his injuries. Passenger Eugenio Mendez, 16 and from Riverbank, was taken to Memorial for treatment.
The driver of the pickup, 22-year-old Oakdale resident Dayton Williams, was not injured, a CHP news release says.
The preliminary investigation found that the Escalon rider was westbound on SR-120, approaching 26 Mile Road. Williams was southbound on 26 Mile Road, stopped at the stop sign. He entered the intersection at the same time as the Honda, and a broadside collision occurred. The riders of the dirt bike — both without helmets — were ejected onto the road.
An inspection of the Honda revealed it did not have the lighting required to make it legal to ride on a highway, according to the CHP.
It has not been determined whether alcohol and/or drugs contributed to this collision, the news release says.
The Escalon man’s name has not been released, pending notification of family.
