A 57-year-old Vacaville man was riding his scooter toward a 7-Eleven early Sunday when a vehicle slammed into him from behind, dragged him across the pavement, and sped away without stopping. Family members have identified the victim as Scotty Goss, a longtime local resident whose relatives say he is now recovering from surgery after the crash tore through both his body and his family's sense of safety on a road they've worried about for years.
According to ABC10, Goss was heading southbound on Alamo Drive around 2:30 a.m. when the unknown vehicle struck him and then fled south on the same road. The Vacaville Police Department says officers and fire personnel responded to a reported hit-and-run traffic collision near Alamo Drive and Whitehall Way, where they found the man lying on the roadway next to his scooter. Police described his injuries only as moderate and said he was transported by ambulance to a local hospital.
ABC10's reporting fills in a far more brutal picture than the department's initial post. Goss's brother told the outlet that Scotty was briefly dragged across the hood and street before falling off, and that he suffered a broken foot requiring immediate surgery, along with possible wrist injuries and severe road rash after the impact tore his clothing off his body. He remained hospitalized while recovering from the foot surgery, the station reported.
A Family With Deep Roots in Vacaville
The Goss family has lived in Vacaville for decades, among the city's first Black families, according to ABC10's reporting — a detail that has deepened the emotional weight of the crash for people who know them. Goss's brother has publicly pleaded for witnesses to come forward with any information that could help identify the driver who left his sibling bleeding on the roadway before dawn.
Police records show the incident was logged as a “Traffic Collision With Injuries” under case number 2608090016, with officers dispatched at 2:26 a.m. Sunday and the initial response call closed by 3:44 a.m., even as the broader investigation stays open. The Vacaville Police Department says it remains committed to finding the suspect and the vehicle involved, and that the suspect has not been identified. Anyone with information is asked to call the department's anonymous tip line at (707) 449-5286.
Alamo Drive's History of Close Calls
This is not the first time Alamo Drive has proven dangerous for people outside of cars. The Legal Advocate reported that a juvenile bicyclist was struck and injured at the nearby intersection of North Alamo Drive and Cheyenne Drive in June, with officers finding the child conscious on the roadway before medical crews took them for treatment. And back in October 2022, ABC10 reported that a 37-year-old motorized scooter rider was seriously hurt after being hit by a car near Alamo Drive and Nut Tree Road, a crash serious enough to shut down portions of the roadway for hours.
Residents have also aired frequent complaints on the Vacaville Police Department's Facebook page about vehicles speeding well past the posted 40 mph limit and driving recklessly along the corridor, prompting the department to previously deploy speed trailers in an effort to slow drivers down. Solano County's regional planning agency, per the Solano Transportation Authority's countywide safety plan, uses crash-mapping tools from UC Berkeley's SafeTREC program along with state collision data to flag high-risk corridors like this one and guide future bike, pedestrian, and safe-routes improvements.
The crash also follows other serious hit-and-runs in the area. Hoodline previously reported on a fatal pre-dawn wreck along Interstate 80 near Cherry Glen Road that killed a Sacramento man after his disabled car was struck by oncoming traffic.
What Drivers Could Face If Caught
Under California Vehicle Code Section 20001, leaving the scene of a crash that causes injury or death is a “wobbler” offense, meaning prosecutors could pursue it as a felony carrying two to four years in state prison and fines up to $10,000, or as a misdemeanor with up to a year in county jail, according to the Shouse Law Group. State law requires any driver involved in an injury collision to stop immediately, render aid, and provide identification — obligations police say whoever hit Goss failed to meet.
In the meantime, police are urging people who walk, cycle, or roll at night to wear bright or reflective clothing, use lights and reflectors, and choose well-lit routes when possible. The department says it will share updates on the investigation as more information becomes available.
