Edward Heiss, 73, was crossing Prescott Road in the south crosswalk with an illuminated walk signal when a car turning left from Mt. Vernon Drive struck him Tuesday afternoon. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The crash has become Modesto's 15th traffic fatality of 2026.
Modesto police officers were dispatched to Prescott Road and Mt. Vernon Drive at about 1:10 p.m., according to the Modesto Bee. Investigators determined Heiss had the right of way in the crosswalk when he was struck by the turning vehicle. The driver remained at the scene and cooperated with the investigation, which police described as ongoing.
A City Still Grappling With Pedestrian Deaths
Tuesday's death pushed Modesto's 2026 traffic-fatality count to 15, the Police Department said in reporting the collision. The toll echoes a troubling pattern the city has wrestled with for years — nine pedestrians were killed in Modesto crashes in 2023 alone, part of a broader surge that saw 108 pedestrian crashes resulting in injury or death that year, up from 100 the year before, according to provisional data reported by the Modesto Bee. An additional 28 such crashes were logged in just the first quarter of 2024, though officials note those figures are provisional.
The numbers aren't new territory for Modesto. In 2021, the city was ranked the third most dangerous in California for pedestrians among 60 cities of similar population, per the same Modesto Bee reporting. In October, law enforcement agencies across Stanislaus County stepped up pedestrian-safety education and enforcement for National Pedestrian Safety Month — weeks before Tuesday's fatal crash.
City's Safety Plan Targets Speed and Dark Streets
Modesto has been leaning on its Safe Streets and Roads for All Action Plan, which the City of Modesto says is meant to reduce, and ultimately eliminate, traffic fatalities and serious injuries across the community. City data cited in the plan identifies unsafe speed as the primary violation type in 11% of crashes, and notes that many severe pedestrian and bicycle collisions happen in areas with limited lighting.
Roundabouts have become a centerpiece of that strategy. The city says converting a two-way stop-controlled intersection into a roundabout can cut fatal and injury crashes by up to 82%. As of 2025, Modesto had built 41 roundabouts citywide, with six more in design or construction.
Not the First Fatal Crossing on Prescott Road
Prescott Road has seen pedestrian deaths before. In September 2018, a Modesto man died after being struck while walking across the same road, though in that earlier case the pedestrian was walking outside a crosswalk between Andrew Avenue and Peach Drive, the Modesto Bee reported at the time.
Modesto has also faced clusters of pedestrian fatalities in short windows. CBS Sacramento has reported on an earlier instance in which two pedestrians were killed in separate Modesto crashes within about 24 hours of each other — one involving a driver who left the scene after striking someone lying in the roadway, and another in which a 63-year-old man using a wheelchair was hit near a crosswalk at Claus Road and East Orangeburg Avenue. In that second case, as in Tuesday's crash on Prescott Road, the driver stayed at the scene.
No further details on potential findings from Tuesday's investigation have been released. Police have not said what comes next for the driver or the case as officers continue to review the circumstances of Heiss's death.
