A driver who fled the scene of a crash on Lander Avenue near Highway 99 Thursday night was later found dead after colliding with a Turlock Transit bus, an impact so forceful it sent the bus careening into a nearby house and rupturing a natural gas line. The bus driver was seriously injured and had to be extricated by firefighters before being taken to a hospital, while the home, though badly damaged, was unoccupied at the time.
According to CBS Sacramento, Turlock police said officers were first called to the Lander Avenue crash around 8:10 p.m. Thursday, a collision that left no one injured. The driver of the vehicle involved left that scene, and the same car went on to collide with a Turlock Transit bus near High Street and West Avenue South. That vehicle's driver was later found unresponsive and pronounced dead at the scene, while the bus driver was seriously hurt in the impact.
Bus Slams Into Home, Rupturing Gas Line
The force of the collision sent the transit bus into a nearby house, damaging a fire hydrant and a natural gas line in the process. Turlock Fire officials said the bus sheared off the home's natural gas meter, triggering a leak that required crews to secure the area and stop the flow of gas before the site could be cleared. PG&E was called to the scene as part of the response, per the same report.
Turlock Transit is operated through contractor Storer Transit Systems.
Cause of Fatal Crash Still Under Investigation
The cause of the second, fatal crash remains unclear, and Turlock police have said investigators do not yet know whether impairment played a role. Toxicology testing is pending, and the identity of the deceased driver has not been released as authorities work to notify family. The Turlock Police Department's Major Accident Investigation Team is handling the case.
Fleeing the scene of a crash involving injury or death is a serious offense under California law.
The corridor's dangers reflect a broader pattern across Stanislaus County, where Turlock is located. The county recorded 389 hit-and-run collisions resulting in injuries or fatalities in 2023, ranking second-worst among California's 58 counties in that category, according to the California Office of Traffic Safety.
Hoodline reported that a collision between a tractor-trailer and a law enforcement vehicle in Merced County this past August prompted a regional accident investigation team to handle the reconstruction.
