Community members by the hundreds gathered Wednesday in Merced to pay tribute to a man they never had the opportunity to meet but who had an impact on their life indirectly through his call to service.
The occasion was the funeral services for Abraham Bustos Guzman, 28, of Merced, which was held Wednesday at Sacred Heart Church in Merced and burial at Evergreen Memorial Park.
Guzman was a volunteer with the Gustine Police Department and was in the process of becoming a police officer.
Guzman was acting as a Good Samaritan by stopping to help at the scene of one collision, when he was struck by another vehicle early on the morning of March 16. The CHP said the two drivers were both intoxicated.
Guzman was a graduate of Golden Valley and lived in Merced with his parents. He had previously served as a police explorer and volunteer in Merced. Guzman worked as a truck driver and was interested in pursuing the avenue of law enforcement. He had gone on several ride-alongs in Gustine and helped in whatever ways he was asked, including with the department’s Christmas operation last December. He applied to serve as a volunteer in January and was scheduled to complete Module II of the Merced Police Academy on April 2 at Merced College. He had planned to begin the hiring process with Gustine Police Department as a Level II Reserve Officer at the completion of his graduation.
The funeral service saw law enforcement from around the region, including the Gustine Police Department, give Guzman a final salute and a police escort to the cemetery.
Many recalled Guzman’s call to serve as they grappled with the senselessness of his death.
The initial crash was reported at 4:10 a.m. on March 16 on Highway 99, north of the Westside Boulevard. Sincere Collins, 22, of Atwater was driving southbound on the highway in a GMC Acadia at an unknown speed.
For unknown reasons Collins made an unsafe turning movement to the left causing the GMC to collide with the guardrail and come to rest on its wheels, blocking the #1 lane. Guzman was driving on the highway and saw the wreck and stopped to offer assistance by pulling over into the center median.
At approximately 4:18 am, Yessica Partida, 23, of Merced was driving a Honda Civic within the #1 lane of southbound Highway 99 north of the Westside Boulevard at an unknown speed.
Partida did not appear to have seen the disabled GMC in the lane and the left front of the Honda crashed into the left rear of the GMC.
As the collision occurred, Guzman was helping the right front passenger get out of the GMC and was standing near the right side of the vehicle, according to the CHP. Guzman was struck by the Honda and sustained fatal injuries. He was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The GMC and Honda became disabled, blocking the southbound lanes of the highway.
During the investigation, an evaluation of both drivers was conducted and both drivers were found to be under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol at the time of the crashes, the CHP reported.
Collins was arrested for suspicion of DUI and transported to Memorial Medical Center for moderate injuries. Both passengers in the GMC sustained moderate to major injuries and were transported to Memorial and Doctors Medical Center.
Partida was arrested for suspicion of felony DUI and was transported to Memorial Medical Center for moderate injuries.
Gustine’s expression of gratitude toward Guzman continued onto the next day with a fundraising event hosted by Wolfsen’s Meat and Sausage. The eatery sold 576 dinner tickets, raising $8,640 for Guzman’s family.
“It was something we could do to show our appreciation for him and what he did for our community,” said Andrew Quintal of Wolfsen’s Meat and Sausage.
On Friday, the funds were given to Guzman’s brothers, Braulio and Fabian Bustos,
“It really does mean a lot to us, especially for our mom and dad as they try to navigate all of this,” said Fabian Bustos. “We are very thankful.”
Quintal and his wife Danielle said they were honored that they could provide a bit of help to the family and said they wouldn’t have been able to do it without the support of their employees – Eli Ramos, Jacob Sullivan, Kailyn Quintal, John Avendano, Stacy Olivera and Samantha Barry. She also expressed gratitude to Gustine High School for providing volunteers, A Plus Plumbing and Genova Bakery in Stockton, which donated the dinner rolls.
