Crash causes major injuries in downtown Petaluma

An accident Tuesday evening involving a vehicle and a pedestrian shut down three lanes of traffic on Washington Street at Keller and Liberty streets, according to the Petaluma Police Department.

The accident, around 5:45 p.m., caused major injuries to the pedestrian, a 57-year-old man, who was transported to Memorial Hospital in Santa Rosa, Lt. Ken Savano said.

According to a police press released, the man was attempting to cross Washington St. from the northwest corner of the intersection of Keller St. The pedestrian had pressed the button to activate the crosswalk lights of the intersection which activated.

A car stopped in the westbound number two lane in front of Volpi’s Restaurant for the pedestrian. The man stepped into a westbound lane and was forced to stop due to a car in the other westbound lane, which did not stop next to the stopped car and drove directly in front of the pedestrian.

After the car passed by the pedestrian, the pedestrian turned toward the car, which had just driven in front of him and yelled at the driver. The man began to walk backwards into the other westbound lane, where he was struck by 42-year-old Judie Zura of Cotati, driving a Subaru Forester, which sustained major damage to the passenger’s side front of the vehicle, according to the news release.

The pedestrian was thrown approximately 70 feet from the area of impact, and sustained major head injuries and abdominal injuries, police said. His identity was not immediately released by police due to difficulty contacting his family.

Zura was cooperating with police and consented to a voluntary blood draw at Petaluma Valley Hospital, police said. Alcohol does not appear to be a factor in the collision, which remains under investigation.

Anyone who may have witnessed this collision is asked to contact Officer Mario Giomi at 776-3722.