2 Suffer Major Injuries In Santa Rosa Hit-And-Run Crash: CHP

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — Two Santa Rosa women suffered major injuries and a Santa Rosa man was arrested on suspicion of hit-and-run in a three-vehicle collision on U.S. Highway 101 in Santa Rosa late Wednesday night, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Juanita Santana, 36, was driving a 1999 Mercedes-Benz at an unsafe speed onto southbound Highway 101 from the Steele Lane on-ramp around 11:50 p.m. when it hydroplaned and struck the center median of the highway, CHP Officer Jon Sloat said.

The Mercedes spun multiple times and stopped in the two left lanes. Santana and her 30-year-old passenger got out of the Mercedes and were standing near it when a 2000 Honda Civic struck the Mercedes, pushing it into Santana and the passenger, Sloat said.

Santana was pinned to the ground by the Mercedes and the passenger was lying in the No. 3 lane and when a third car, a 2006 Lincoln LS sedan, struck the rear of the Honda. All three disabled vehicles were blocking the three left lanes of the highway, Sloat said.

The Honda driver, Gregory Hernandez, 55, of Santa Rosa, fled the scene and was reported to be on the west side of the highway near Cleveland Avenue. CHP officers found him walking on Cleveland Avenue and returned him to the collision scene. He was medically cleared and then booked into Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of felony hit-and-run causing injury, Sloat said.

The collisions blocked the southbound lanes of the highway for about 30 minutes while emergency medical responders attended to the injured parties, according to Sloat.

None of the drivers, including the Lincoln driver, Gabriela Zaragoza, 36, of Santa Rosa, had a valid driver's license, Sloat said.

Santana and her passenger suffered major injuries and were taken to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.

Intoxication is not believed to be a factor in the collisions, Sloat said.

By Bay City News Service

Patch file photo by Renee Schiavone