MAN HIT BY CAR IN CRITICAL CONDITION:VICTIM HURT IN SANTA ROSA CRASH USED WHEELCHAIR AFTER EARLIER CAR ACCIDENT

The man in a wheelchair who was hit Friday by a car near Coddingtown was

clinging to life Saturday night.

Santa Rosa police mistakenly reported Friday evening that the 58-year-old

man had died in the hospital following the collision that had occurred before

dawn.

But Richard Trenam remained in critical condition Saturday night in the

intensive-care unit of Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, according to a nursing

supervisor and a hospital spokeswoman.

Sgt. Rich Celli, supervisor of police traffic bureau, apologized Saturday

for the error. ''I gave out the wrong information yesterday,'' he said.

''Essentially we were working off the information we had at the time. It was

obviously the wrong information.''

A close friend of Trenam's said Saturday morning that Trenam lives in the

Coddingtown area, off Cleveland Avenue, and that he was on his way to catch

the bus when he was hit.

''He was in the wheelchair because of a prior car accident many years ago,

and he almost died then,'' said the friend, who identified herself only as

Lori.

Police said the driver, Antonio Salano Villa, 24, Santa Rosa, was headed

home from work in a 2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse when he struck Trenam in the

crosswalk at Guerneville Road and Range Avenue. Police said they were

uncertain who was at fault.

There were no immediate eyewitnesses who could say which man had the

traffic light in his favor.

Villa, whose car license plate was left at the scene, went home, but later

returned with his father, according to authorities.

He voluntarily went to police headquarters for an interview and to provide

a blood sample. Police said he was cooperating with the investigation.

Specifics of Trenam's medical condition were unavailable largely because of

confidentiality laws that protect the privacy of patients. Officials also said

they were not immediately able to locate relatives of Trenam's.

Staff Writer Martin Espinoza contributed to this story. You can reach Staff

Writer Clark Mason at 521-5214 or clark.mason@pressdemocrat.com.