Pedestrian killed in Highway 12 collision

A man trying to cross Highway 12 on the north side of Sonoma was struck by a vehicle and killed Monday morning near the Verano Avenue intersection, marking the second death and third major-injury collision involving pedestrians on that stretch of highway.

The man was hit about 8 a.m. south of the busy intersection and outside of a crosswalk, along the stretch of road that bypasses the Maxwell Park tennis courts and where a bike path intersects with the highway.

The victim, who died at the scene, was not identified as of Monday afternoon. His hat and shoes were thrown clear of his body in the violent collision. He was struck in the passing lane of westbound Highway 12, according to the Sonoma Police Department, which is handling the investigation.

A white work van that appeared to have been the vehicle involved was in the road facing to the northwest visible damage to its left front end.

Officials closed the highway at 8 a.m. and did not reopen it until after 1 p.m., according to Sonoma police Sgt. Mike Baraz.

The death, which occurred inside city limits, was the second on that stretch of Highway 12 in just four months and the third incident of a pedestrian being struck by a vehicle there.

In late November, a vehicle struck and killed 78-year-old Sonoma resident Raymond Carillowhile he was walking southbound in the Verano Avenue crosswalk just before sunrise.

Last month, on Valentine’s Day, two 12-year-old girls using the crosswalkat the same intersection were struck by a Lexus compact SUV.

The slew of accidents and two deaths has fueled concern among residents, who say it’s high time for authorities to intervene and do more to safeguard those on foot and bike in the area, part of a major commuter and tourist thoroughfare in southeast Sonoma County.

“The question becomes who do we need to talk to before someone else dies here,” said Hannah Perot, who lives north of the intersection. Perot, who said her boyfriend commutes to work on a bicycle through the intersection and saw the dead man’s body this morning, called for a physical change to slow drivers and protect pedestrians on the stretch of road.

“I don’t think its easy as saying well everybody needs to slow down because infrastructure impacts how people drive,” she said. Just north of the intersection lies The Springs, a series of communities outside city limits that are home to a significant proportion of low income and Latino residents, Perot said, increasing pedestrian travel for some through necessity.

“There are a lot of people who bike and walk for economic reasons,” she said.

The crashes are “something that’s of major concern to us,” Sonoma Mayor Logan Harvey said in an interview. He noted that the area where the bike path intersects with Highway 12 — across the street from the Maxwell Farms Regional Park — tempts people into crossing the highway without first walking to the crosswalks.

Jurisdictional issues have slowed change on the road, Harvey said. The city’s jurisdiction ends and Sonoma County’s begins near the intersection. The highway itself is under the jurisdiction of CHP.

“It’s three different agencies so it’s a difficult one to change,” Harvey said, “I’m trying to figure out how to approach it.”

However, “there are ways to calm the traffic through these areas and try to save lives,” he said.

The area sits within Sonoma County Supervisor Susan Gorin’s 1st District. Gorin wants to work with appointees on the Springs Municipal Advisory Council on solution, she said.

“I’m very concerned about the fatalities occurring at this intersection and other locations around Highway 12,” Gorin said.

“We need to slow down and pay attention and government needs to see what we can do to work towards Vision Zero,” she said.

Vision Zero is a county initiative to eliminate traffic fatalities and severe injuries, “while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all,” according to its website.

Anyone with information about Monday’s collision is encouraged to contact the Sonoma Police Department’s Deputy Fletcher Skerrett at 996-3602.