2 Killed As Honda Hits Power Pole South Of Santa Rosa
SANTA ROSA (CBS SF) - Two people were killed but a Santa Rosa man survived early Monday morning when a vehicle struck a power pole and broke in half in unincorporated Sonoma County south of Santa Rosa, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The driver of a Honda Civic may have fallen asleep as he was heading north on Petaluma Hill Road north of Hunter Lane around 2:30 a.m., CHP Officer Jon Sloat said.
The Honda driver failed to negotiate a gradual right curve and took no evasive action before the Honda veered left across double yellow lines through the southbound lanes and off of the west side of Petaluma Hill Road, Sloat said.
The Honda spun sideways on a dirt and grass shoulder and struck a pole, slicing the Honda in two pieces, Sloat said.
The rear half of the Honda stopped north of the power pole, while the front half traveled more than 200 feet and struck guide wires of another pole before it stopped, according to Sloat.
The right rear passenger was ejected in a northbound direction upon impact with the first power pole and landed in the middle of the road, Sloat said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver and right front passenger remained in the front half of the Honda. The driver was still conscious when CHP officers arrived but he died at the scene, Sloat said.
The right front passenger, a 19-year-old Santa Rosa man, suffered a broken clavicle and concussion and was taken to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, Sloat said.
Alcohol was not a factor in the collision, which blocked the road for about three hours, Sloat said.
The names of the deceased driver and passenger are being withheld until their next-of-kin are notified, he said.
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