Sonoma County Hwy 12 Crash Leaves 1 Dead

SONOMA COUNTY, CA -- A 45-year-old San Jose man died in a solo vehicle crash west of Santa Rosa Thursday, the California Highway Patrol said.

The man was driving a 2007 Honda Accord east on state Highway 12 west of Stony Point Road around 5:45 p.m., the CHP said.

The driver fell asleep or had a medical event that caused the car to drift off the right side of the road and crash into a tree, the CHP said.

The impact damaged the left side of the Honda, trapping the driver. The Santa Rosa Fire Department responded and used hydraulic tools to cut a door and the roof off the car and removed the driver, Battalion Chief Ken Sebastiani said.

The driver was pronounced dead at 6:32 p.m. at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, the CHP said.

The man's identification is pending notification of is next of kin.

By Bay City News/Image via Shutterstock