March 4, 2004

Major Vehicle vs. Pedestrian Collision

The Lodi Police Department is currently investigating a collision between two pedestrians and a vehicle that occurred at 0657 this morning in front of Tokay High School in our city.  Two female students, ages 15 and 17, were crossing Century Blvd. near the main entrance to the high school when they were struck by an eastbound vehicle.  The 17 year old was knocked to the pavement, while the other girl was trapped beneath the right front portion of the vehicle and dragged approximately 100 feet.  The driver of the vehicle and several bystanders, including Tokay students, lifted the vehicle and freed the injured girl.  Both girls were transported to an area hospital, from where they were airlifted to separate trauma centers. The families of both girls have been notified.

The LPD Major Accident Investigation Team was on the scene of the collision until approximately two hours ago, when they completed the scene examination and evidence gathering, along with  interviews of the driver and numerous witnesses.  The driver was not arrested or cited.  The investigation will likely continue for several days before a determination of fault is made and a decision is made about whether to file charges.

The involved parties are as follows: 

Driver:                    Jonathan William Bianchi

                                DOB:  11/05/1984

                                Resident of Bianchi Dr. in Lodi.

Vehicle:                  1992 Chevy 1500 pickup, California License Plate # BIACHI

Pedestrian #1        Sharnjit Dhillon

                                DOB:  01/21/1989

                                Resident of Oriole Ln. in Lodi

                                Currently at San Joaquin General Hospital, Condition “Critical” as of 3:10 PM

Pedestrian #2        Sukdeep Kaur

                                DOB: 01/27/1987

                                Resident of Oriole Dr. in Lodi

                                Currently at Stanford Medical Center, Condition “Poor” as of 3:35 PM.

The Lodi Police Department wishes to remind all drivers that the utmost caution should be used when driving in school zones, a location where pedestrians and traffic have one of the highest likelihoods of conflicting. 

For futher information contact Sgt. William Barry at 209-329-2966 or wbarry@pd.lodi.gov .