Highway 101 crash in Petaluma injures two, tangles traffic

Multiple vehicles, including a motorcycle, crashed late Monday morning on Highway 101 in Petaluma, blocking northbound traffic and injuring at least two people, according to initial crash reports.

The 10:52 a.m. collision happened just north of East Washington Street.

As many as six vehicles were involved, the CHP reported. A motorcycle rider apparently was thrown into one of the traffic lanes and initial reports indicated firefighters had to free at least one person from the wreckage.

Two ambulances responded and officials at the crash scene said one person had moderate injuries and another had minor injuries.

Northbound traffic backed up to Kastania Road in southern Petaluma and southbound traffic also slowed extensively due to gawkers, according to crash reports. Drivers were expected to see 30-minute delays getting through the area, according to the CHP.

On Aug. 9, eight vehicles collided on the highway just north of this crash. In that late-morning collision, near Corona Road, a huge car carrier smashed into a vehicle, starting a chain-reaction crash that turned traffic into slowed slog throughout the area and injured one man. The CHP said the carrier driver was distracted and couldn’t stop in time for slowed traffic.

You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter@rossmannreport.