1 dead in head-on collision in Santa Rosa after driver failed to notice vehicle stopped to turn

(BCN) — A woman died after her vehicle was struck head-on by an SUV in Santa Rosa on Saturday. The driver of a white Lexus SUV was traveling northbound in the 2800 block of Corby Avenue when he allegedly failed to notice a red Toyota had stopped to make a left-hand turn across traffic, into a driveway of an auto dealership.

The driver of the Toyota was waiting for southbound traffic to clear before making a legal turn and had its blinker on, according to a news release from the Santa Rosa Police Department. The Lexus’ driver failed to notice until it was too late. He attempted to avoid rear-ending the vehicle by swerving into the southbound lane, side swiping the Toyota before striking a red Honda head-on.

Police said the account was based on witnesses, the drivers, and video footage from the auto dealership. The driver of the Honda was declared dead at the scene minutes after medical first responders arrived, police said.

The Lexus’ driver told police he could not swerve around the Toyota to the other side because of parked cars and did not see the oncoming Honda. The drivers of the Lexus and Toyota were not injured.

The driver of the Lexus, who was not named was cooperative with investigators. As of Sunday, police said it was still be investigated whether drugs or alcohol played a factor. The police department will work with the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office to determine if criminal charges should be filed, according to the police department.

Corby Avenue was closed for about four hours while the scene was investigated. Anyone with information about the crash was asked to contact Santa Rosa police officer Brenden Sawyer at brendensawyer@srcity.org.

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