Search underway for driver after deadly hit-and-run crash in Merced

MERCED, Calif. (KFSN) -- A search is underway for a driver who hit and killed a man in Merced on Monday night.

Officers were called to the area of Yosemite Avenue Cordova Avenue, where the victim was said to be crossing the street around 9 pm Monday.

Detectives said the driver was in a Toyota of some sort and didn't stop to see if the victim was okay.

"The damage to that vehicle is going to be significant, and the occupant who is driving that car would've known they hit something with the amount of damage that occurred to it," said Merced Police Sergeant Nathan McKinnon.

The man was hit not once, but twice by two different drivers.

"A vehicle that was behind that vehicle also hit the same person after the initial collision, but that person stayed on scene, was cooperative with law enforcement and had no signs of impairment," said Sgt. McKinnon.

Detectives have had a difficult time identifying the victim due to the extent of his injuries.

Sergeant McKinnon said this is the 7th fatal hit and run in the city of Merced this year.

Kelsey Isaac attends Merced College, which is less than a mile away from where Monday's hit-and-run took place.

Several new businesses nearby have added to the traffic on this major thoroughfare.

It's also a route that connects UC Merced students to restaurants and off-campus housing, and it's less than a half mile from an elementary school.

With so many drivers in the area, Isaac hopes for more pedestrian-friendly streets.

"People in the morning, especially, trying to get their coffee, go to school, go to work. There are pedestrians, people going to school on bikes, walking from local homes, so it's definitely dangerous with the increase of motor traffic around here," Isaac explained.

Anyone with information regarding this hit-and-run collision is encouraged to contact the Merced Police Department.

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