Marin County Crash Victim Identified As Petaluma 19-Year-Old

NORTH BAY, CA — A young man from Petaluma died Tuesday in a Marin County crash, the Marin County Coroner's Division said.

Carlos Enrique Verdugo-Cruz, 19, of Petaluma was involved in a head-on collision shortly after 8 a.m. Tuesday in the 440 block of Nicasio Valley Road near Sir Francis Drake Boulevard in San Geronimo Valley, according to Marin County Chief Deputy Coroner Roger Fielding.

Verdugo-Cruz was driving a Honda Civic sedan southbound when he failed to negotiate a curve in the roadway and crossed over the painted double-yellow lines and struck a Ford Expedition traveling northbound on the same roadway, Fielding said.

Both cars came to rest within the roadway.

Verdugo-Cruz was found unconscious and unresponsive within his severely damaged vehicle. First responders arrived on the scene shortly after and found him lifeless in cardiopulmonary arrest. He was pronounced dead at 8:23 a.m.

The other driver was trapped in the Ford Expedition and was extricated by first responders, then taken by ambulance to an area hospital and was expected to survive their injuries.

Witnesses told law enforcement that Verdugo-Cruz was speeding right before the crash, Fielding said.

"The Marin County Sheriff’s Office and personnel of the Coroner Division offers our sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Verdugo-Cruz," Fielding said.

More than $10,000 was donated toward memorial expenses as of Thursday on a GoFundMe campaign for Verdugo-Cruz.