Crime & Safety

Driver Injured in Hwy. 101 Crash Near Atherton Ave., Snarls Traffic

A 33-year-old Santa Rosa man sustained minor injuries and slowed the southbound Hwy. 101 morning commute around Novato early Friday when his car drifted onto the right shoulder, struck a freeway sign and careened across two lanes before colliding with a center divider, according to the California Highway Patrol.

At around 5:10 a.m., Michael Hayashi was driving his 1993 Honda Civic on southbound 101 just north of Atherton Avenue in Novato in the far right lane when the car drifted onto the gravel shoulder for an unknown reason, officer Andrew Barclay said.

As Hayashi tried to steer the Honda back onto the road, the car struck a large freeway sign on the shoulder and he lost control of the car, Barclay said. The car then traveled across both lanes of southbound 101 and hit the concrete center divide.

The Honda came to a halt in the far left lane, and traffic backed up past the Redwood Sanitary Landfill – approximately 1.5 miles away – by the time that the lanes were cleared.

Emergency personnel from CHP and Novato Fire Department arrived on scene and cleared the lanes of traffic. Hayashi was treated at the scene and was taken to Marin General Hospital with minor injuries.

Alcohol is not believed to be a factor in this collision, Barclay said.

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