1 Killed In Sonoma County After Car Rolls Down Embankment, Hits Tree

SONOMA COUNTY, CA -- One person died after their vehicle went down an embankment and collided with a tree Tuesday evening in Santa Rosa, police said.

At 6:15 p.m. on April 4, Santa Rosa police officers were dispatched to the 5000 block of Montgomery Drive between Mission Boulevard and Melita Road to investigate a traffic collision involving a single vehicle.

At the scene, officers located a green Jeep Cherokee on the north side of Montgomery Drive.

According to police, the Jeep went down a steep embankment from the westbound lane and collided with a tree. The Jeep was completely totaled, police said.

Police and fire crews located the driver, who was pronounced dead at the scene. He was later identified as 22-year-old Cesar Rosales Marin of Santa Rosa. A passenger, identified as 18-year-old Ricardo Banda-Marin of Santa Rosa, was in the front seat and had to be extricated from the vehicle.

He was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries and is in critical condition.

According to police, speed may have been a factor in the collision, but they don't yet know if the driver was impaired by drugs or alcohol.

The collision remains under investigation; anyone with information is asked to contact Santa Rosa Police Officer Jeff Woods at (707) 543-3636.

Bay City News contributed to this report/Images via Santa Rosa police