One Killed, One Seriously Injured in 101 Crash Near Gnoss Field

A woman was killed and another seriously injured in a crash Wednesday afternoon on Highway 101 a few miles north of Novato, sources said.

A Chevrolet Aveo struck a tree along southbound 101 near just south of the Redwood Landfill flyover at about 1:15 p.m., according to reports from the California Highway Patrol and .

The driver, yet unidentified by the CHP, was declared dead when first-responders arrived, and a 29-year-old female passenger was trapped in the vehicle and seriously injured, Novato Fire Battalion Chief Gerald McCarthy said.

Fire crews received the emergency call at 1:21 p.m. and arrived at the site just north of the at 1:30 p.m., McCarthy said. The vehicle with extrication equipment arrived three minutes later and the crews focused on the passenger, he said.

“The vehicle left the road and rolled over into one of the trees, so the top of the car impacted the tree,” McCarthy said.

It took 15 minutes to get the injured woman out of the car, he said. She was loaded into a CHP helicopter that landed on the highway and flown to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.

“It was a very technical procedure to remove her,” he said. “She had multiple traumatic injuries.”

Southbound and northbound lanes of 101 were blocked minutes after the crash and traffic backed up toward Petaluma on the southbound side, the CHP said. One southbound lane remained closed for 2 hours, 25 minutes while the rescue and investigation took place.

Officer Chris Rardin of the CHP said the identity of the driver is being withheld pending identification and notification to next of kin through the coroner’s office.

Rardin said the driver drifted the car into the center divide and turned right to try and get back on the freeway, then lost control. He said it was unknown how fast the woman was driving at the time of the crash.

The location of the wreck was just a few yards from where a 19-year-old disabled man from Petaluma on Aug. 7. A long line of mature oak trees runs parallel to the southbound lanes between the Silveria ranch and Olompali.

“It was two trees away,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy said initial emergency calls said a large truck was involved in the crash and was on top of the smaller car and that an infant was involved in the crash. Those reports proved to be untrue, he said.

The CHP is seeking witnesses to the incident and can be reached at 415-924-1100.

—  Bay City News Service contributed to this report.