California Injury Lawyer Blog

A man died Tuesday morning and three others were injured in a horrific chain-reaction crash on River Road in Santa Rosa, authorities reported. The accident occurred at the intersection of River Road and Sommers Street at about 10:25, and involved a Nissan Sentra, a Toyota Tercel, and a Lexus.

The Nissan Sentra was heading west on River Road and stopped to turn left onto Sommers Street. Behind the Nissan was the Toyota Tercel driven by Linden Reed, 20, of Guerneville. According to the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, Reed had looked down to adjust his radio and did not see the stopped Sentra until it was too late to avoid the collision. The impact from the Toyota Tercel striking the Nissan Sentra pushed the Sentra into eastbound lanes of River Road. A eastbound Lexus then struck the Nissan, killing the passenger, who was not identified.

After the accident the driver of the Nissan, who was bleeding profusely and seriously injured, ran about a half mile away into a nearby vineyard. CBS News reported that it was unclear why the driver, who was not identified, ran away from the scene since he was not at fault. Sheriff's deputies found him about 30 minutes after the crash and he was taken to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital with reportedly life-threatening injuries. His actions and why he fled the scene are under investigation.

The driver of the Lexus, a 30-year-old Santa Rosa woman and her 13-year-old son both suffered moderate injuries and were taken to Memorial Hospital. Reed, the driver of the Tercel suspected of causing the rear-end collision that pushed the Sentra into the intersection, was not injured. River Road was closed between Fulton Road and Laughlin Road while the cause of the accident was investigated.

Fault and Liability Issues

The cause of this April 27th Sonoma County crash is still under investigation. However, if the news reports of the incident are accurate, the driver of the Tercel caused the accident, as he reportedly admitted to law enforcement that he was distracted by the radio in his car. It is possible that the driver of the Lexus was partially at fault if she was speeding, but there is nothing to indicate that based on news reports. While this accident is still under investigation, it would be in the best interests of the families of the two men in the Sentra and the mother and son in the Lexus to contact an experienced California auto accident lawyer about their legal rights to compensation in a personal injury or wrongful death claim as a result of this accident. An attorney can advise the victims of their best course of action following this accident, and explain their legal options, rights and responsibilities.