Driver in hit-and-run crash dies after colliding with Turlock Transit bus that went into home
The person who died after a transit bus barreled into a Turlock home Thursday night is believed to have been a driver who had gotten into a hit-and-run crash beforehand, officials said.
According to the Turlock Police Department, officers went to Lander Avenue near Highway 99 around 8:10 p.m. for that hit-and-run crash. No one was injured in that crash, but shortly afterward, officers went to the Turlock Transit bus crash near West Avenue South and High Street. Police said a white car slammed into the side of a city bus.
Police said the driver, who was in the same vehicle from the Lander Avenue crash, died at the scene. The driver was identified as 53-year-old Kevin Wooten.
The bus driver also suffered serious injuries and was taken to a hospital. He’s expected to make a full recovery.
Christina Gamboa, who lives just a few houses away from the crash site, rushed to help the injured bus driver.
“Then all the cuts on the inside,” Gamboa said, showing the scars she sustained while assisting.
“When the cops showed up I was still holding the guy’s head, and they told me don’t move, the fire department is about to be here,” she said. “Please just let me through I have blood on my hands. I’m just trying to help somebody.”
She witnessed the collision firsthand.
“The car blew through on High Street going towards West. They literally hit right there and it smashed the house,” she said.
In the daylight, the extent of the damage became clear. The crash left a large hole in the side of a house and damaged the garage. The structure is now boarded up and deemed unsafe for occupancy.
At the time of the crash, no one was inside the home. However, the residents said off-camera that the bus smashed through their dining room, where they normally would have been eating dinner.
“I just wanted to make sure the guy was okay. I tried to open the white car, but the door was slammed shut and they were unresponsive,” Gamboa said.
Turlock police said the driver of the white car was fleeing from a previous crash on Lander Avenue and Highway 99, about a mile away from the bus collision. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene on High Street. Authorities have not yet determined if drugs or alcohol were factors in the crash.
“Oh no, this happens all the time,” Gamboa said.
Gamboa and other neighbors are now calling for better safety measures along West Avenue South to prevent more crashes like this, such as a four-way stop.
“This happens all the time. All the time. I’ve never seen a deadly crash like this one,” she said.
KCRA 3 reached out to Turlock city leaders and officials but had not heard back yet.
Police said the crash damaged a fire hydrant and a natural gas line. Pacific Gas & Electric Co. was at the scene.
Police said it’s possible the driver was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. A toxicology test is pending.
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