Patterson Irrigator

Witness says crash victim lucky to be alive

By Jonathan Partridge / Patterson Irrigator

Pablo Enriquez, 52, was transported by ambulance to Doctors Medical Center in Modesto after receiving scrapes and bruises on his arm, according to a witness and emergency responders.

“Man, he’s lucky he got out of there alive,” said witness Robert Soria, who lives across the street from where the accident took place.

Soria said Enriquez did not remember the accident, and he seemed dazed and complained of neck pain, but he was walking and talking after the accident.

Enriquez was headed westbound in a 1986 Toyota Corolla, when his car began weaving from side to side, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Keerat Lal. The Corrola crossed the center dotted yellow line near Poplar Avenue and hit a 2000 Peterbilt truck headed eastbound, Lal said. The Tiger Lines truck was driven by Ronald Birmingham of Merced.

Lal said it was unclear why Enriquez’s car began drifting and that he was possibly tired.

Enriquez had a small amount of alcohol in his system, but it was not enough to play a factor in the accident, Lal said. Everyone involved in the accident was wearing a seat belt, he said.

A light green Nissan, also headed eastbound, swerved to avoid the accident and landed in a ditch just south of the road. No one in the car appeared to be injured, though the car received a flat tire in the process.

Patterson resident Dagoberto Cabrera, a passenger in the Nissan, said it was unclear exactly what happened during the accident.

“It just happened so fast,” he said.

Patterson Fire Department was dispatched at 2:22 p.m., though the dispatcher initially gave firefighters the wrong location, division chief Jeff Gregory said.

Traffic was backed up for about one-fourth of a mile each way while Stanislaus County Sheriff’s deputies directed traffic as emergency responders helped provide first aid to Enriquez and cleaned up the scene.

The Corolla landed on the north side of the road, with its front end scrunched and its trunk lid knocked to the side, exposing the engine. The windshield rippled like a wave, and myriad web-like cracks covered the glass.

Area resident Soria said he sees at least two to three accidents on that stretch of Las Palmas Avenue each year, though people often resolve issues themselves without calling police afterward, he said. A sign across the street commemorates fatal accident victim Andrew Haggard, who died in 2002.

“My girlfriend got hit there; my friend got hit there, too,” Soria said. “All kinds of people get hit.”

To reach Jonathan Partridge at the Irrigator, call 892-6187 or e-mail him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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