Vallejo sees spike in fatal vehicle crashes

Vallejo police are concerned about a spike in fatal crashes following the death Monday of a 63year-old man struck by a car while walking his dog.

Lt. Michael Nichelini said in a statement that the city’s police and fire departments “have noticed an alarming increase in fatal vehicle accidents to start the new year.”

In fact, Monday’s fatal crash brought the total number of people killed in crashes in Vallejo in the first month of this year to four, surpassing the number seen in all of 2017, Nichelini said.

Last year, there were three crash-related deaths in Vallejo, though Nichelini said he’d estimate the annual average over 15 years is closer to nine.

“Still, four in 29 days is really a lot,” he said.

Michael James Thurin was walking his dog early Monday morning when he was hit by a maroon 2003 Mercedes, police said. A preliminary investigation revealed that Thurin was crossing mid-block on Springs Road east of Oakwood Avenue between Bank of America and DQ Grill & Chill, police said.

The driver of the car that struck Thurin is a 38-year-old man who also lives in Vallejo, police said. He is reportedly cooperating with the investigation and his name has not been released.

“It appears that alcohol may have been a factor in this collision,” police said.

Last Friday, a homeless woman was killed in Vallejo in a hit-and-run, which remains unsolved.

Nichelini attributed the rise in crash-related fatalities to the department’s understaffed traffic division, which he said has gone from 14 officers to three full-timers over the past decade.

In a joint news release on roadway and pedestrian safety, Vallejo’s police and fire departments advised that the darkness of the winter months can cause an uptick in autopedestrian accidents. They encouraged drivers to turn on their headlights and told pedestrians to use crosswalks and avoid texting while walking.