Teen driver injures jogger in Petaluma crosswalk

A 47-year-old jogger was seriously injured when a teen driver struck the woman in a crosswalk on Ely Boulevard South, Petaluma police said.

The woman was jogging west in the crosswalk north of Weaverly Drive when she was struck about 7:55 a.m. Tuesday by a vehicle driven by a juvenile girl holding a provisional license, Officer Dustin Rodrigues said in a press release Wednesday.

A city transit bus had stopped in one northbound lane on the boulevard, yielding the right-of-way to the jogger, he said. The motorist, who was traveling behind the bus, changed lanes and was passing the bus when she hit the jogger. There was a 15-year-old passenger in the vehicle.

The woman was transported by the Petaluma Fire Department to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, where she was listed in stable condition Wednesday, Rodrigues said.

California law requires that a juvenile driving during the first 12 months with a license may not transport passengers under age 20, he said. The law also prohibits motorists from passing a vehicle that has stopped at a crosswalk for a pedestrian or entering a crosswalk when a pedestrian has set foot in it.

The release did not indicate whether a citation was issued to the juvenile driver.

You can reach Staff Writer Guy Kovner at 521-5457 or guy.kovner@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @guykovner.