12NOON UPDATE
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Fatal crash on Highway 12 near Glen Ellen
JOHN BURGESS/The Press Democrat One driver was killed and another injured in a crash on Highway 12 at Dunbar Road near Glen Ellen.
By MARY CALLAHAN
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
source
Published: Monday, March 16, 2009 at 12:18 p.m.
Last Modified: Monday, March 16, 2009 at 12:19 p.m.
Highway 12 has reopened after a two-car fatal crash left one person dead and sent a second driver to the hospital Monday morning.
The road was closed through Glen Ellen in both directions for about two hours, but reopened to slow traffic shortly after 8 a.m.
The violent crash occurred about 6:12 a.m. at Dunbar Road and Highway 12, scattering wreckage across both lanes of roadway, the CHP said.
An eastbound driver of a Honda apparently drifted off the right-hand shoulder and then spun across his lane and into oncoming traffic. He was struck by a westbound Suburu Legacy driven by Taylor Thomas, 31, of Sonoma. Thomas complained of pain and was taken to Memorial Hopsital.
Officers were still trying to determine the identity of the Honda driver, who was killed in the crash. The Sonoma County coroner remained on the scene this morning.
“The Honda was ripped in half,” CHP Officer Jon Sloat said.
Both drivers appeared to be going between 50 and 55 mph at the time of the collision. The speed limit along this stretch of Highway 12 is 55 mph.
Authorities urged motorists to take alternate routes between western Sonoma County and the Sonoma Valley or points east.
CHP officers also offered Warm Springs Road to Arnold Drive also was offered as a route around the accident scene.
Students at Dunbar Elementary School were among those expected to find it difficult to get to class.
The crash scene was horrendous, with wreckage and personal belongings scattered across a large area.
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North Bay News
Driver killed in crash on Highway 12
Monday, March 16, 2009 11:11 AM
Bay City News
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SANTA ROSA, CA -- The driver of a Honda Accord was killed in a crash in unincorporated Sonoma County near Kenwood Monday morning that shut down state Highway 12 for hours.
The victim was driving east on Highway 12 south of Dunbar Road around 6:10 a.m. when he drifted to the right shoulder then veered across the highway into oncoming traffic, CHP Officer Jonathan Sloat said.
The Honda spun and was struck on the driver's side by a 2009 Subaru driven by Thomas Taylor, 31, of Sonoma, Sloat said.
The collision tore the Honda into two pieces and killed the driver, whose body was still being removed from his car around 9 a.m., Sloat said.
The Subaru overturned and came to rest upright, Sloat said. Taylor was taken to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, Sloat said.
Sloat said a separate, minor collision occurred behind the first accident. The road was wet and it was raining at the time of the crash but the cause remains under investigation, Sloat said.
Highway 12 was completely reopened around 9:20 a.m.
ORIGINAL POST
Fatal Accident Shuts Down Highway 12
Posted: 8:01 am PDT March 16, 2009
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SONOMA -- At least one person was killed in a crash that has shut down state Highway 12 in unincorporated Sonoma County Monday morning, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The incident was reported at about 6:10 a.m. on Highway 12 at Dunbar Road, south of Kenwood.
CHP Officer Peter Van Eckhardt said it appears there were actually two crashes; a head-on collision between two cars and another crash that involved three vehicles.
He did not have additional details on the crashes but said around 7:30 a.m. that the highway remained closed in both directions and that it likely wouldn't be reopened until after 8 a.m.
Traffic is being diverted onto Warm Springs Road and Arnold Drive, but motorists are advised to avoid the area.
Copyright 2009 by FOXReno.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
I live in Canada and I am stunned at the parallels between this accident and one that occurred on Highway 12 not far from my home..it happened yesterday morning at approx. 6 a.m. involving a Honda and white pick up truck. The Honda driver died....one of the weirdest coincidences I have ever heard.
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