On February 19, 2018, at approximately 2325 hours, the Merced Communication Center (MCC) received a call of a traffic collision involving a vehicle versus big rig on northbound State Route 99 south of Mitchell Road. Officers from the California Highway Patrol (CHP) Modesto Area responded to the scene and investigated the collision. Once emergency personnel arrived on scene, it was determined the passenger in the Honda had succumbed to his injuries and Mr. Hoggatt had sustained minor injuries. Mr. Marquardt was uninjured as a result of this collision.
The collision is still under investigation and it is not known if the Honda was traveling in the number three lane or the number two lane prior to the collision. The big rig was traveling northbound in the number three lane at a state speed of 55 miles per hour. The Honda was traveling northbound approaching the rear of the big rig at a speed well in excess of 55 miles per hour. As the Honda approached the rear of the big rig, the Honda collided with the left rear corner of the trailer. The Honda traveled out of control in a easterly direction onto the east shoulder
where the Honda collided into a cyclone fence, before entering onto the frontage road of Rohde Road. The Honda eventually came to a stop on the east shoulder of Rohde Road north of Hepburn Way, resting on its wheels and facing in a southwest direction.
Alcohol and/or drugs appear to be a factor in this collision. Mr. Hoggatt was taken into custody by the California Highway Patrol after he displayed signs of impairment. He was booked at the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center.