Modesto, CA (Oct. 2, 2026) – A pedestrian who died after being struck by a vehicle in Modesto on October 2 has been identified as 35-year-old Jacob Moore of Modesto, according to the Modesto Police Department.
Police said the crash happened at 14th and I streets shortly after 10 a.m. Investigators determined that Moore had been walking westbound when, for an unknown reason, he lay down in the roadway and covered himself with a blanket, police said.
A vehicle then struck him, and the driver left the area, according to police.
City camera and license plate reader technology identified the vehicle involved, police said. An officer used a tire-deflation device to stop the vehicle, and the driver was taken into custody.
The driver was arrested on suspicion of hit-and-run resulting in death or injury, according to police. Police said the driver may also have been under the influence of drugs.
Police released Moore’s identity the following day and said the circumstances leading up to the crash remain under investigation. Investigators are reviewing video of the collision from more than one angle, according to police.
This is a developing story. Details may change as the investigation continues.
What Families Can Do After a Fatal Pedestrian Crash in California
The California Office of Traffic Safety reported 1,106 pedestrian deaths statewide in 2023, down from 1,213 in 2022. Using 2023 federal crash data, UC Berkeley’s SafeTREC found that 22 percent of California pedestrian deaths that year, or 217 of them, happened at intersections. California Vehicle Code section 20001 also requires any driver involved in a crash causing injury or death to stop at the scene.
Families dealing with a sudden death rarely know what to handle first. These steps protect the record while the investigation is still open:
- Ask the investigating agency for the crash report number and the name of the traffic unit handling the case, so you have one point of contact.
- Ask that the involved vehicle be held rather than released, repaired, or salvaged while the case is open.
- Note which nearby businesses, buses, and homes have cameras, because private footage is often recorded over within days.
- Send insurance calls to one family member or to a lawyer, and give no recorded statement in the first weeks.
- Order several certified copies of the death certificate, since insurers, banks, and employers each want their own.
- Keep receipts for funeral costs, medical bills, and time missed from work in one folder.
Hit-and-Run, Suspected Impairment, and Shared Fault in a California Pedestrian Death
A criminal hit-and-run case and a civil claim are separate matters. The arrest belongs to the district attorney, and nothing in that case pays a family’s losses. A family can bring its own claim whether or not charges hold up.
California follows pure comparative fault. If a jury decides the person who died carried part of the responsibility, the family’s recovery is reduced by that share rather than erased. That rule matters in every case where police report that a pedestrian was in the roadway.
After a death, California allows two related claims. A wrongful death claim covers the family’s own losses, including lost financial support and the loss of the person’s companionship. A survival claim covers what the person themselves lost between the crash and their death.
- Who may be liable: the driver, and an employer as well if the vehicle was being driven for work at the time.
- What usually decides the case: license plate reader records, toxicology testing, vehicle damage, and speed and braking data stored in the car’s electronics.
- Insurance that may apply: the driver’s liability policy first, and a household uninsured or underinsured motorist policy when that coverage falls short.
- Deadline: under CCP 335.1 and CCP 377.60, both injury and wrongful death claims must generally be filed within two years, which puts the deadline at October 2, 2028.
Speak With a Modesto Pedestrian Accident Lawyer
The Law Offices of J.G. Winter serves the Central Valley from offices in Stockton, Folsom, Sacramento, and Fresno.
As an experienced California injury accident attorney, our work on these cases starts with the evidence that disappears first: intersection and business video, plate reader hits, and the vehicle itself. We deal with the insurance company so the family does not have to, and we keep the family informed about what the criminal case is doing. Where fault is contested, we build the record rather than accept the insurer’s version of it.
Attorney Jeremy Winter founded the firm and handles its cases personally. He earned his J.D. from McGeorge School of Law in 2006 and has practiced in California since then, with no disciplinary history and a 4.9-star Google rating in Sacramento. Every case runs on a contingency fee, so a grieving family pays nothing to start.
Families in Modesto deciding who should handle a pedestrian death case usually want to know what J.G. Winter Law actually brings:
- $19,000,000 construction accident result, the firm’s largest reported recovery
- Direct attorney access: you work with Jeremy, not just staff
- Bilingual representation in English and Spanish (dedicated Spanish site)
- Four offices across Northern California and the Phoenix metro
- Free consultation, available 24/7
- Zero fees unless we win your case
Our Stockton office at 304 W Harding Way is the closest to Modesto and about half an hour up the highway. Call 844-764-2596, come by the office, or send us what happened through our contact form, and we will call you back.
