Man Killed In Hwy 12 Head-On Collision From El Verano

The driver of a Porsche killed in a collision with a flatbed truck on state Highway 12 in Sonoma County on Friday afternoon has been identified as 55-year-old John Daman Hatley, the Sonoma County coroner’s office announced today.

The California Highway Patrol responded to a report of a head-on collision on Highway 12 west of Dunbar Road near Kenwood around 1:40 p.m. Friday.

[Previous: Driver Dies In Collision With Flatbed Truck Near Kenwood and Breaking Traffic Alert: SR-12 Near Kenwood Is Closed.]

Hatley was driving a 2006 Porsche Boxster convertible at about 80 mph east on the highway where he lost control of the vehicle on the wet roadway, CHP officials said.

The Porsche spun sideways into the westbound lane and directly into the path of an oncoming GMC 3500 flatbed truck, according to the CHP.

The driver’s side of the Porsche struck the front of the truck, and Hatley was killed instantly, CHP officials said. Hatley was a resident of the El Verano area, a community in Sonoma County, according to the coroner’s office.

The driver and passenger of the truck were not injured, CHP Officer Jon Sloat said.

The truck belongs to a Healdsburg contractor, Sloat said.

Investigators said witnesses reported seeing the Porsche tailgating, speeding and passing traffic over double yellow lines prior to the accident.

The collision closed the highway for about two hours as investigators and cleanup crews were at the scene. Investigators are working to determine if impairment was a factor in the collision, CHP officials said.

--BCN

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