Woman dead, three injured in multivehicle Petaluma crash

'Cars were hitting and flying everywhere,' said a Sonoma resident whose SUV was caught up in the crash, hit by a pickup then pushed into another car.|

One person died early Tuesday and three people suffered injuries in a crash involving at least five vehicles that closed Lakeville Highway, according to Petaluma police and fire officials.

Sonoma County’s emergency dispatchers began getting calls at 7:15 a.m. about collisions on Lakeville Highway near South McDowell Boulevard Extension.

A driver caught up in the crash who had minor injuries but whose SUV was totaled, described a sequence of collisions starting with a northbound pickup truck veering across the road into southbound lanes. The truck hit at least three vehicles, including one head on. Impacts sent some vehicles into others, leaving the rural highway strewn with mangled wrecks and auto debris.

“Cars were hitting and flying everywhere,” said Sonoma resident Suzana Weltken who was headed south to work when her Mercedes was hit by the pickup. “It was definitely nothing anybody could do once he veered into traffic. The luckiest people were the kids in the truck ahead of me. Their vehicle was barely damaged.”

Petaluma firefighters and three ambulances responded. They found a crash scene spread over a large area and multiple drivers who needed medical aid.

“There was a pickup truck in the middle of the road, flipped over, all smashed up. Two-three cars smashed up. One unrecognizable, which was a fatality. One was off the roadway,” described Petaluma fire Battalion Chief Jeff Holden.

A blue sedan that ended up in a field was so damaged firefighters aided the driver out through the windshield, Holden said. That man appeared to have a major head injury. He was one of three taken to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.

Petaluma police issued an alert warning drivers the highway was closed there due to a fatality.

The commute-hour crash meant there was steady traffic in both directions. Lakeville Highway is a major connector route to the greater Bay Area.

Weltken saw the start of the collision chain - a full-sized pickup heading northbound.

“I could see it coming down the road and see it veer across the road. It hit a truck in front of me, just the mirror,” she said.

After the pickup hit the truck’s mirror, it hit the front of her SUV, which then struck a car in the adjoining lane, apparently sending it spiraling across the road and into the field.

Weltken believed that after hitting her, the pickup had a head-on crash with another vehicle, likely the one carrying a woman who died.

The woman’s body remained inside the wreckage as police investigated. Firefighters covered what was left of her car with a tarp.

Several people stopped to take in the scene, try to help or who’d been caught up in the backup.

John Bearce of American Canyon had just pulled off of the highway into a business when the crash happened. “It was loud. I looked over to my left and there was stuff flying everywhere.”

Bearce ran to a destroyed vehicle to see what could be done. “One person didn’t make it. Her car was leaking gas. I had the fire extinguisher there just in case.”

A professional truck driver, Bearce was shaken by the scene. “This is the first one I’ve seen where there was a fatality. That lady, she isn’t going home tonight.”

Weltken said she too was shaky, feeling lucky herself, badly for the victim and worried about the driver she hit. “That one looks pretty bad.”

She drives the route frequently. “I wasn’t even going to this way today.”

“It was definitely nothing anybody could do once he veered into traffic. The luckiest people were the kids in the truck ahead of me. Their vehicle was barely damaged,” she said.

Ron… 715.. chev Silverado driven by a 19 year old male. No names now… have a fatly no talk to family’

50 passenger in the picup … that chevy into town, crossed over double yellow why we don’t really know… and collided with a Toyota prius, driven by 67 year old femla.. died.

Collided with that vehicle and a honda accord, 22, male…

All three of other, taken to memorial with serious not believe life threatening…

Thre other vehicles involved .. .all minor to mod damage…

Road closed… figurein another two hours… figure out how this whole thing occurred..

Contact officer Mario giomi 778 4372…

No believe driver of chevy was under influence…

Debris wise one of the worst ever

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