One dead, two injured in fiery Hwy. 121 accident

A horrific head-on car crash on Highway 121 over the weekend left one person dead and two others with major injuries, the California Highway Patrol reported.

According to CHP Officer Robyn Lescher, the incident occurred at around 10:20 p.m. Saturday on Highway 121 just north of Ramal Road. That’s when, for unknown reasons, a Mercedes-Benz E430 traveling southbound crossed over the double-yellow lines and smashed head-on into a 2014 Chevy Cruze, Lescher said.

Lescher, who was among the first authorities to arrive on the scene, said that a witness had been following behind the Chevy Cruze and watched the accident unfold.

She added that, “A couple minutes after the crash, the (Mercedes) burst into flames.” Several passersby worked together to pull the driver of that car, a 26-year-old woman, out of the flaming vehicle, however they were unable to revive her and she was pronounced dead at the scene.

The deceased woman was later identified in news reports as Danielle Bell. Lescher said she was from San Anselmo.

The other two crash victims were 53-year-old Nestor Dutko and 51-year-old Victoria Dutko, the driver and passenger of the Chevy Cruze. Lescher said they are a married couple from Chelmsford, Mass., and that both suffered major injuries in the crash but were expected to survive.

Nestor Dutko was airlifted by CHP helicopter to Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa, while Victoria Dutko was taken by REACH helicopter to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.

The crash, which blocked traffic for hours along Highway 121, remains under investigation.

On the website of the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, several people claiming to know the Bell family offered their condolences. One unidentified poster also wrote: “The scene of this crash was horrific and happened right in front of me. Describing this as a fiery crash is a mild description of the scene. Emergency personnel were all very quick to arrive and I’m confident that’s why there weren’t additional fatalities.”

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