A 53-year-old woman suffered major injuries and a 3-year-old girl suffered minor injuries after both were struck by a car while crossing Highway 140 at Plainsburg Road in the Planada area of Merced County on Tuesday morning. California Highway Patrol officers were called to the scene at about 8:22 a.m., and both pedestrians were taken to area hospitals.
What CHP Says Happened at the Intersection
The preliminary account, reported by Yahoo News, identified the driver as a 61-year-old Merced woman in a 2018 Nissan sedan traveling eastbound on Highway 140. She had stopped at a stop sign and started across the intersection when the 53-year-old woman and 3-year-old entered the car's path. The driver struck both pedestrians, then stopped and remained at the scene. Why the pedestrians entered the highway at that time has not been established.
The 53-year-old woman was transported to Doctor's Medical Center in Modesto for treatment of her major injuries. The 3-year-old girl, who suffered only minor injuries, was taken to Mercy Hospital in Merced as a precaution, according to the same report. CHP has not released the identities of those involved, and as reported by Culver Legal, the agency has not released further updates on either victim's condition since the crash.
No Signs of Impairment, but Questions Remain
The preliminary account said the driver cooperated with officers and that alcohol or drugs did not appear to be factors. CHP has not said whether it issued any citations. The circumstances of the collision remain under investigation.
This is not the first serious crash reported at that same crossing. The Merced Sun-Star covered a major-injury collision at the intersection of Plainsburg Road and Highway 140 back on October 13, 2017, though the circumstances of that earlier wreck were separate from Tuesday's incident.
Caltrans Findings and Planned Intersection Work
A Caltrans study documented 14 collisions at the State Route 140 and Plainsburg Road intersection from July 1, 2015, through June 30, 2020, and noted that the intersection had no traffic signals. The cited study information does not specify whether marked pedestrian crossing facilities are present or what speed limit applies.
Caltrans says its SR 140 and Plainsburg Road intersection improvement project was awarded in December 2025 and is targeted for construction in Summer 2026.
What California Law Says About Pedestrian Right-of-Way
California Vehicle Code Section 21950 requires drivers to yield to pedestrians in marked crosswalks and unmarked crosswalks at intersections. The statute says pedestrians do not lose their right-of-way by walking or running, and directs drivers approaching pedestrians in a crosswalk to use due care and reduce speed. Drivers also have a continuing duty of due care toward pedestrians in the roadway, regardless of right-of-way status.
Separately, California Code of Civil Procedure Section 335.1 sets a two-year limitation period for filing injury or wrongful-death claims stemming from another person's alleged wrongful act or neglect. Culver Legal, which represents people injured in collisions across California, notes it takes cases on a no-fee-unless-it-wins basis and does not pass on case costs to clients if it does not win.
Broader Pedestrian Safety Trends in California
The UC Berkeley SafeTREC transportation safety program provides county-level pedestrian and bicycle fatality and serious-injury data for 2020 through 2024; its 2025 figures are listed as provisional.
For now, the exact reason the woman and child entered the highway when they did remains unknown, and CHP's investigation into the collision is ongoing.
