Police seek witnesses in fatal Lakeville Highway wreck

Lakeville Highway near Browns Lane is closed until further notice.|

An 83-year-old Granite Bay man was killed in a head-on collision on Lakeville Highway on Thursday morning, the third deadly crash along the road since June 7.

The man, who has not been identified pending notification of his family, was driving a Lexus LS400 sedan north at about 11:44 a .m. when he apparently drifted over the center line and collided with a BMW 228i going south, CHP spokesman Jon Sloat said.

The driver of the BMW, Andrew Lang, 53, of The Sea Ranch, had to be extricated from his mangled car, Sloat said. Lang’s injuries, while major, were not considered life-threatening, and he was transported to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, Sloat said.

The Lexus driver was pronounced dead at the scene, and a 56-year-old passenger in his car suffered minor to moderate injuries and also was taken to the hospital. Her condition and relationship to the driver were not yet known, Sloat said.

It was unclear why the Lexus crossed the center line, but alcohol or drugs were not considered factors in the crash, Sloat said.

“It is yet to be determined whether (the Lexus driver) had any medical issue prior to the crash,” he said. “His passenger said that he seemed fine.”

Sloat said officers believe at least two vehicles drove away shortly after the wreck and people inside them may have seen the impact. He asked witnesses to call the CHP at 588-1400.

“Nobody’s in trouble,” he said. “But we’d like them to contact us so we can ask them what they saw, if anything.”

Investigators closed the road for more than two hours, Sloat said. Traffic was diverted to Frates Road until just after 2 p.m., when the highway was reopened.

The Petaluma Police Department assisted with traffic control.

The crash, which occurred just south of Browns Road, was the third deadly wreck along Lakeville Highway in the past three months.

On Aug. 8, a 32-year-old Vallejo father was killed and his two young children and a female passenger injured when a large brick pizza oven towed by a catering van broke loose and careened into their car. On June 7, a 65-year-old woman, also from Vallejo, was killed in a head-on crash with a suspected drunken driver. An 8-year-old relative in her car was injured in the crash, which happened as they drove home from a dance performance at their church.

Staff Writer Eloisa Ruano González contributed to this report. You can reach Staff Writer Elizabeth M. Cosin at 521-5276 or elizabeth.cosin@ pressdemocrat.com.

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