Coroner IDs Second Victim In Head-On Crash on River Road

The Sonoma County coroner’s office has identified the second driver who died in a head-on collision on River Road near Santa Rosa Monday as 27-year-old Joseph Giancola of Santa Rosa.

Giancola was driving a 2001 Lexus west on River Road west of Laughlin Road when it collided with a Ford Ranger pickup driven by Jerry Thompson, 58, of Windsor, the California Highway Patrol said.

• Previous:
• Double Traffic Fatality Reported This Afternoon On River Road
• UPDATE On Monday’s River Road Double Fatality

Giancola was driving recklessly and attempted to pass a long line of cars ahead of him around 2:30 p.m., the CHP said.

He pulled his Lexus into the eastbound lane in front of the oncoming Ford, and both drivers appeared to swerve toward the shoulder to avoid each other but collided head-on, CHP Officer Jon Sloat said. The Lexus landed on the right shoulder and caught fire, and the Ford was thrown into a driveway on the south shoulder, pinning Thompson inside, Sloat said.

--Bay City News

--Shutterstock image

Also on Patch:

• 3 Sonoma County Schools Evacuated Due To Bomb Threats
• Awww ... Help Name Adorable Baby Penguins At Academy of Sciences
• Man Arrested For Allegedly Assaulting Elderly Person In Petaluma
• Is Any Publicity Good Publicity for #Petaluma? McDonalds Commercial Revisited
• Five Confirmed Cases of Hepatitis A Virus Reported In Napa County
• Start Planning Your Spring and Summer Adventures At Upcoming Outdoor Expo