Coroner IDs Motorcyclist Killed In Head-On Hwy 1 Crash With Concord Driver

A man killed in a multi-vehicle collision that left three others injured on state Highway 1 in Sonoma County on Saturday afternoon has been identified today as 44-year-old Vallejo resident Anthony Cruz, according to the Sonoma County coroner’s office.

Cruz was driving one of three motorcycles involved in a collision with a car on Highway 1 just south of Fort Ross Road near the Fort Ross State Historic Park around 12:30 p.m., CHP officials said.

[Previous: One Motorcyclist Killed, Two Others Suffer Major Injuries in Hwy 1 Crash in Sonoma County.]

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 a man later identified as Cruz, 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 Cruz was declared dead at the scene and the two other motorcyclists 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.

CHP officers were able to manage one-way traffic with minimal delays. The roadway cleared shortly after 7 p.m.

--Bay City News

--Image via Shutterstock

Also on Patch:

• VIDEO REVIEW: Is ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ Worth All the Hype?
• Still Not Covered? Insurance Enrollment Extended For Those Who Start Today - Sunday!
• Keep Mylar Balloons From Valentine’s Celebrations Secure
• Relief Coming to the Pumps? State May Lower Gasoline Excise Tax by 7.5 Cents
• PCA Releases #Petaluma’s 2014 Veteran’s Day Parade Video