One Motorcyclist Killed, Two Others Suffer Major Injuries in Hwy 1 Crash in Sonoma County

The three were hit by a driver in an SUV. One motorcyclist, 54, from Rohnert Park.

One person died and three others were injured in a collision involving three motorcycles and a sports utility vehicle Saturday afternoon on state Highway 1 in Sonoma County, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Officers responded to a report of a collision involving a car and a motorcycle around 12:30 p.m. in the northbound lane of Highway 1 just south of Fort Ross Road near the Fort Ross State Historic Park in Sonoma County, CHP officers said.

CHP officers said a 19-year-old Concord man was traveling south in a Toyota Rav4 at an unknown speed when he allowed his vehicle to drift and cross over the double yellow lines into the northbound lane.

As his car entered the lane, it struck the left leg of a 55-year-old Oakland resident, who was riding a Ducati motorcycle, CHP officers said.

The Toyota continued traveling south in the northbound lane and collided head-on with two other motorcyclists, one ridden by a 54-year-old Rohnert Park man and another ridden by an unidentified man, according to CHP.

After hitting the motorcycles, the Toyota continued south before running off the roadway and coming to a rest roughly 35 feet from the highway.

CHP officers said one motorcyclist was declared dead at the scene and two others were airlifted to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital with major injuries. The Toyota driver suffered minor injuries and was transported by an ambulance to Santa Rosa Memorial, CHP officers said.

CHP officers said the cause of the collision is still under investigation but drugs and alcohol are not believed to have been a factor. The identity of the man who died will be released pending notification of next of kin, CHP officers said.

With warm temperatures and Valentine’s Day increasing the traffic load today, CHP officers said the agency was able to manage one-way traffic with minimal delays.

The roadway cleared shortly after 7 p.m.

–Bay City News

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One Motorcyclist Killed, Two Others Suffer Major Injuries in Hwy 1 Crash in Sonoma County