Pedestrian seriously injured crossing Petaluma intersection

A 57-year-old man sustained possibly life-threatening injuries Tuesday when he was struck by a car and thrown about 70 feet while attempting to cross a busy intersection in downtown Petaluma, police said.

The man was transported to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital with major injuries to his head and abdomen, Petaluma Sgt. Ron Klein said.

He was not identified due to difficulty in contacting his family, Klein said.

The pedestrian had activated the crosswalk lights embedded in the pavement at the intersection of Washington and Keller streets at 5:44 p.m. and stepped into Washington Street as one westbound car stopped, police said.

Aside from the crosswalk lights, the four-way intersection is uncontrolled for Washington Street traffic.

A car in the other westbound lane - the fast lane - did not stop and drove directly in front of the man, Klein said.

The man turned toward that car and yelled at the vehicle. As he was walking backward in front of the same lane, he was struck by a Subaru Forester driven by Judie Zura, 42, of Cotati, Klein said. The Subaru sustained major damage to the passenger's side front end, he said. Zura cooperated with police and agreed to give a blood sample at Petaluma Valley Hospital.

Alcohol does not appear to be a factor in the collision, which remains under investigation, Klein said. Anyone who witnessed the collision may call Officer Mario Giomi at 776-3722.

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