One dies in two-car collision in heavy Schellville rain

'It looked like the Russian River out there,' said Schell-Vista Fire Chief Ray Mulas of the accident scene.|

Two cars collided on Highway 121 on Wednesday afternoon and one driver died at the scene.

The accident occurred amid the heavy rains of Jan. 16, at approximately 2:55 p.m. near 3642 Fremont Drive in Schellville – west of Boxcar restaurant and northwest of Napa Road.

According to California Highway patrol officers, the driver of a 2014 Nissan was traveling southbound on Highway 121 when, due to the Nissan’s unsafe speed for the wet conditions, he lost control of his vehicle, crossed over the solid double yellow lines, and drove directly into the path of a 1996 Dodge truck.

“This person’s speed coming down that roadway and the amount of water on that roadway caused him to lose control, and he paid the ultimate price for it, unfortunately,” CHP spokesperson Marc Renspurger said. “Any time we get storms like this, we plead for people just to slow down and give yourself extra time just to get places.”

Sonoma County Sheriff’s Sgt. Spencer Crum on Thursday identified the driver as Malachi Hussain, 25, of Livermore. He was pronounced dead at the scene by the Sonoma County Coroner.

The Dodge truck was driven by Jose Reynoso-Bedolla of Fairfield, who was traveling northbound on Highway 121.

Reynoso-Bedolla was transported to Queen of the Valley Hospital in Napa, by Sonoma Fire for minor injuries. His passengers sustained no injuries, but were transported to the hospital because the Dodge truck was not drivable. Everyone involved was wearing seat belts at the time of the collision, according to the CHP.

It is unknown if drugs or alcohol were contributing factors at this time.

The crash blocked the eastbound lanes, and emergency officials closed eastbound traffic at Highway 121 and Napa Road, as well as at the rural highway and Ramal Road. Traffic quickly became an issue as heavy rains caused nearby roadways to flood.

The weather was cited as a key factor in the crash by one officer on the scene.

As the victims were treated and transported, some firefighters left quickly to avoid getting trapped by the rising water in areas below the crash scene, Schell-Vista Fire Chief Ray Mulas told the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat.

“We got the hell out of there,” said Mulas, a longtime chief and area rancher. “It was literally pouring at that point in time. We were concerned with trying to get out with all the water coming. I’m not exaggerating, the fields were running. It looked like the Russian River out there.”

With additional reporting by Randi Rossman.

UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy:
  • This is a family newspaper, please use a kind and respectful tone.
  • No profanity, hate speech or personal attacks. No off-topic remarks.
  • No disinformation about current events.
  • We will remove any comments — or commenters — that do not follow this commenting policy.