California Highway Patrol officers responded to a traffic collision involving a Semi-truck and a Sedan vehicle on Southbound 99 near Childs Avenue in Merced last night.

The collision occurred on April 8, 2020, at approximately 9:42 p.m, it happened on Southbound 99, just North of Childs Avenue.

Responding officers were advised that the big rig ran off the freeway and the sedan came to rest blocking the #2 lane of SR-99.

Upon the arrival, officers and medical personnel discovered that the semi-truck came to rest in a homeless encampment located near oleander bushes and the railroad tracks, approximately 40 feet west of Southbound SR-99, north of Childs Ave.

During the investigation, it was determined that the collision was caused when a semi-truck driven by 25-year-old Mason Myrick from Handford was traveling in the #2 lane of southbound SR-99 as 21-year-old Omar Govea was driving a Cadillac sedan in the #1 lane.

Unfortunately, the semi-truck struck a homeless male adult and 38-year-old Crystal Geer from Merced, both individuals were sleeping in the encampment at the time of the collision.

The male adult succumbed to his injuries at the scene and Geer sustained only minor injuries. Geer was attended by medical personnel at the scene and refused further treatment.

Neither of the drivers (Myrick or Govea) sustained any injuries as result of this collision.

The #2 lane of southbound SR-99 remained closed for a period of time to provide protection to emergency personnel and to facilitate the investigation.

According to public information officer Zuniga, at this time the collision remains under investigation and it remains unknown which party conducted an unsafe lane change, causing the semi-truck to lose control and veer off the roadway.

No drugs or alcohol are a factor.