2 girls hit by car at Verano and Sonoma Highway

Two 12-year-old girls were injured midday on Sunday, Feb. 14, while they were attempting to cross Sonoma Highway, SR-12, at the Verano Avenue intersection, according to Officer Marc Renspurger of the California Highway Patrol.

At approximately 1:40 p.m., the driver of a 2016 Lexus NX200T turned north (westbound) onto SR-12 struck the pair as she was attempting a left turn from Verano Avenue. “For reasons still under investigation, Party No. 1 did not yield to the pedestrians in the crosswalk, and collided into both of them,” read the CHP report.

The report indicates the pedestrians were crossing Sonoma Highway in the crosswalk between Palms Cafe and McDonald’s. It is unknown if they were crossing against the light at the time.

The driver, 40-year-old Lisbet Flores of Sonoma, stayed at the scene and cooperated with the CHP investigation. There were no citations, and drugs or alcohol did not appear to be a factor, Renspurger said, though the investigation continues.

One of the juveniles sustained major injuries, and the other minor injuries. Both were transported to Santa Rosa Memorial by Sonoma Valley Fire ambulance.

The incident took place at the same intersection where, just before sunrise on Nov. 24, 78-year-old Raymond Carrillo was struck and killed by a car driven by 26-year-old Sonoma man. Area residents have complained about the heavily-trafficked intersection, and the speed of drivers on both Verano and Highway 12.

There is a memorial near the southwest corner of that intersection for Carrillo, curated by his granddaughter Emma Pomeroy-Carrillo.

In a post on a neighborhood social media site, following the Feb. 14 collision, she wrote, “I’m so angry and many of you should be too. I’m scared to drive on the roads right now because of other drivers. I have always been cautious and concerned of other drivers but not like I am right now. There’s too many people not paying attention, too many people that speed and too many that just don’t care....”