Napa Woman Dies In Sonoma County Crash

NORTH BAY, CA — A Napa woman was killed Wednesday in a chain-reaction crash on Adobe Road east of Petaluma, authorities said.

The California Highway Patrol responded at 4:39 p.m. Wednesday to reports of a major-injury crash involving three vehicles on Adobe Road west of Stage Gulch Road, CHP Officer David deRutte said.

Preliminary investigation indicated a 78-year-old Sonoma man was driving a Chevrolet Colorado pickup truck eastbound on Adobe when, for unknown reasons at this time, he rear-ended a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck in the eastbound lane, deRutte said.

A 51-year-old Napa man was driving the Silverado and the impact caused him to travel across the double-yellow lines into the westbound lane where he collided head-on with a Chevrolet Volt compact car, causing major damage, deRutte said.

There were two people in the Volt; a male driver and a female passenger.

"Unfortunately, the passenger in the Chevrolet Volt sustained fatal injuries," deRutte said.

Gail Forte, 63, of Napa, was identified as the crash victim Thursday by the Sonoma County Sheriff-Coroner's Office.

The Volt driver and the Silverado driver both suffered major injuries and were airlifted to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital by a CHP helicopter crew and a Reach Helicopter crew.

The driver of the Colorado suffered minor injuries and was taken to the same hospital by ground ambulance.

The CHP asked anyone with information regarding this crash to call the Santa Rosa CHP Office at 707-588-1400.