Two struck by vehicles in Lodi on Sunday, one dies
The Lodi Police Department was busy over the weekend, responding to two accidents involving pedestrians on Sunday, one of which left one man dead. On Friday, a woman was arrested on suspicion of solicitation.
Officers responded to the 800 block of West Lodi Avenue just after 6 p.m. to the report of a man struck by a vehicle.
Upon arrival, officers found the 59-year-old man unresponsive in the roadway between Crescent and Avena avenues.
The San Joaquin County Coroner identified the man as Lodi resident Roy Hernandez.
“He was just trying to cross the road,” Sgt. Steve Maynard, a spokesman for the department said Monday morning.
“It looks as if he saw one car approaching very slowly, so he waited for that car to pass,” Maynard said. “When that car finally did pass him, that’s when he tried to cross. By that time, the other car hit him.”
Maynard said the man did not see the second car as he stepped off the curb, adding that he was not using a crosswalk when the collision occurred.
The driver of the vehicle remained on scene and cooperated with officers, police said.
Officers do not believe drugs or alcohol were a factor in the accident, police said.
“Makes me sick to my stomach because I just passed through before it happened after work,” Samantha Williams commented on the department’s Facebook post. “I saw him walking on the sidewalk while I drove through Lodi Avenue.”
The police also posted a warning to avoid the intersection Sunday, where people shared more thoughts about the collision.
“I also had a collision there,” Sharon Seibel said. “Someone ran a light on Lodi Avenue and I got hit. Thankfully I wasn’t hurt.”
The investigation is still ongoing, and police are asking anyone with additional information to contact Corporal Kaufman at 209333-2944. At about 10:49 a.m. on Sunday, officers responded to the report of a cyclist being struck near Tejon Street and Lower Sacramento Road.
The cyclist, a 59-year-old woman, was riding northbound on Lower Sacramento Road when a driver attempted to make a turn from Tejon Street, Maynard said.
The driver did not see the cyclist, and struck her as they pulled out of Tejon Street, he said.
The cyclist suffered a broken leg and was taken to a local hospital for treatment, police said.
Last Friday, a 51-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of solicitation after officers investigated prostitution complaints at a local massage business.
Officers conducted an investigation at the Angel Relax Center in the 1100 block of West Kettleman Lane at 10:46 a.m.
Officers requested the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office Victim Witness program provide resources to the woman, but she declined aid, Maynard said.
“We thought it may have been a sex trafficking situation, but she denied any of it,” he said. “She also denied any assistance.”
People commenting on the department’s Facebook post about the arrest were not surprised.
The Lodi Police Department encourages anyone to call the national human trafficking hotline at 888-3737888 if you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking.