Crime & Safety

UPDATE: Details Released on Driver Found Dead in Overturned Vehicle in Jonive Creek

UPDATED: SATURDAY, MAY 24, 10:15 p.m.

A 41-year-old Santa Rosa man was found dead this morning in the driver's seat of a car that crashed into a creek just west of Sebastopol overnight, the California Highway Patrol said.

The car was found overturned in Jonive Creek off of Bodega Highway near Sexton Road at about 9:15 a.m., the CHP said.

The CHP was alerted to the situation when a man holding a sign was standing on the roadway near the scene of the crash.

The sign said the man needed help and to call the police, the CHP said. While CHP officers were responding, the call was updated to a report of an overturned vehicle and possible fatality.

Emergency crews arrived and determined the crash was a solo vehicle collision. It appeared the car had crashed overnight and the driver, who was the sole occupant, was trapped inside.

The deceased man was still seat belted into the driver's seat of the car when emergency crews reached to him, according to the CHP.

A coroner was called to the scene a short time after CHP officers arrived, the CHP said.

No witnesses to the collision have been identified, but based on statements from nearby residents, CHP officers determined that the collision occurred sometime late Friday night or early this morning.

The preliminary investigation into the crash indicated that the car was traveling east on Bodega Highway at an unknown speed when the driver lost control of his car. The vehicle spun 180 degrees and traveled across the westbound lane before sliding off the northern edge of the roadway, the CHP said.

The vehicle overturned off the roadway and came to rest upside down in a small creek about 2 feet deep, CHP officers said.

 The identity of the deceased driver is not being released until his next of kin have been notified.

Toxicology reports are still pending and the exact cause of death remains under investigation, the CHP said.

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Saturday, May 24, 11:10 a.m.


A driver was found dead in a car that crashed into a creek west of Sebastopol overnight, the California Highway Patrol said today.

The car was found overturned in Jonive Creek off of Bodega Highway near Sexton Road at about 9:15 a.m., the CHP said.

It appeared the car had crashed overnight and the driver was trapped inside.

A coroner was called to the scene a short time after CHP officers arrived, the CHP said.

The CHP has not released any information about the victim.

--Bay City News


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