Pedestrian Killed on Highway 99 in Modesto, CHP Says

Published: September 3, 2026
By: Yaghmai Law Firm, APC

(Modesto, CA) – A man on foot died after being hit by a car on Highway 99 in Modesto during the early hours of Wednesday, the California Highway Patrol reported.

According to the CHP, the collision came in as a report at roughly 1:34 a.m. along the northbound side of Highway 99, just south of Carpenter Road. Responding officers found that the wreck involved a passenger car and a person walking on the roadway.

Investigators said a 63-year-old woman from Manteca was heading north in a grey 2015 Kia sedan when a man moved from the center median toward the east shoulder. The CHP said the man entered the path of the oncoming Kia and the two collided. The man died at the scene and had not been identified.

The CHP estimated the Kia was moving at about 65 miles per hour at the moment of impact. The agency said the driver had her seatbelt fastened and was not hurt. According to the CHP, alcohol and drugs do not appear to have played a role in the crash.

Analysis of the Highway 99 Pedestrian Collision

When a pedestrian is killed on a freeway, California investigators generally reconstruct the sequence of events by weighing where each party was, how fast the vehicle was traveling, and what each person could reasonably see and do in the seconds before impact. Under Civil Code section 1714(a), every person owes a duty to use ordinary care so as not to injure others, and that general negligence standard frames how both driver and pedestrian conduct is measured after a collision like this one.

Because the reported facts describe a person crossing away from an intersection or crosswalk, two Vehicle Code provisions may bear on any later civil review. Vehicle Code section 21954 requires a pedestrian crossing outside a marked or unmarked crosswalk to yield to vehicles that are close enough to be an immediate hazard, while at the same time preserving a driver's separate duty to exercise due care for pedestrian safety. Vehicle Code section 22350, the Basic Speed Law, provides that no one may drive faster than is reasonable and prudent given conditions such as visibility and the roadway. Investigators typically examine speed, lighting, and reaction time to assess whether either duty was met, and Evidence Code section 669 can create a presumption of negligence where a statutory violation proximately causes the type of harm the statute was meant to prevent.

If a civil claim were to arise, California allocates responsibility through comparative fault. Civil Code section 1431.2 directs that non-economic damages be apportioned according to each party's share of fault, meaning any recovery could be reduced by the degree of fault assigned to the pedestrian. These are general legal principles only; no conclusion about fault can be drawn from the limited information currently available.

What Families Can Do

Families who lose a loved one in a roadway collision have several early steps worth considering: obtaining the CHP traffic collision report, preserving any dashcam or nearby surveillance footage before it is overwritten, and keeping records related to the incident. California law sets deadlines that matter, including the two-year limitations period for most personal-injury and wrongful-death claims under Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1, and it identifies who may bring a wrongful-death action under Code of Civil Procedure section 377.60. Because fatal-crash investigations can be complex and evidence can disappear quickly, a family may wish to speak with an attorney to understand their options. Were you, or someone you love, involved in this crash? A California pedestrian accident attorney at Yaghmai Law Firm can explain your options and deal with the insurance companies for you. Call or text (888) 800-6731 or request a free case review.

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About the Author

Houtan Yaghmai, Esq., President & Managing Attorney of Yaghmai Law Firm, APC. California State Bar No. 298487. Speaks English, French, and Persian. The firm represents personal injury clients throughout Southern California – consultations by phone, text, or video, no office visits required.

This post was assembled with AI assistance from publicly reported news sources cited below. All California Vehicle Code references were verified against leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Facts were re-checked via additional web searches before publication. This post is based on initial news reports and may be updated as new facts develop. Nothing in this article is legal advice. Yaghmai Law Firm, APC is not associated with the investigating agencies and does not represent any party named in this post unless explicitly stated.

Sources:
1. RSS_KCRA – Pedestrian on Highway 99 dead after struck by vehicle, CHP says: https://www.kcra.com/article/modesto-highway-99-pedestrian-killed-chp/73599078