A dirt bike vs. pick-up truck collision northwest of Oakdale resulted in the death of an Escalon resident and left a Riverbank teen with injuries this past week. The incident was investigated by the California Highway Patrol and occurred along Highway 120 at 26-Mile Road.

The CHP report indicates officers received a call of a traffic collision shortly before 8:15 p.m. on Wednesday, April 12. Emergency personnel arriving on scene located a dirt bike and pick-up truck with collision damage. The driver of the 2003 Honda dirt bike, identified by the Stanislaus County Coroner’s Office as Edgar Manzo-Mendoza, 20, of Escalon, was taken by ambulance to Memorial Medical Center in Modesto where he later succumbed to his injuries. The passenger, 16-year-old Eugenio Mendez of Riverbank, was taken to Memorial Medical Center with moderate injuries. The driver of the 1996 Ford pick-up truck, a 22-year-old Oakdale man, was wearing his seatbelt and was not injured in the collision.

The preliminary CHP investigation indicated Manzo-Mendoza was driving the dirt bike westbound on Highway 120, approaching 26-Mile Road. The driver of the pick-up, southbound on 26-Mile Road, stopped at the stop sign at Highway 120 and both vehicles proceeded into the intersection, where a broadside collision occurred. Both the driver and rider were ejected from the dirt bike. Neither was wearing a helmet at the time of the collision. An inspection of the Honda also revealed it was not legal to ride on a highway. Specifically, noted the CHP report, the Honda dirt bike did not have any required lighting to the front of the bike. It is unknown if alcohol or drugs contributed to this collision.