Pedestrian dies from injuries after Santa Rosa collision

A pedestrian seriously injured after being hit by a car in south Santa Rosa has died nine days after the crash, police officials said Monday.

Joseph Muth, 55, of Benicia, died Sunday at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital from the extensive injuries he sustained, including a fractured skull, in the Dec. 9 incident, Santa Rosa Police Sgt. Summer Black said.

Muth was crossing Santa Rosa Avenue near Powderhorn Avenue shortly before 11:30 p.m. when he was hit by an oncoming car, a northbound white 1994 Pontiac Grand Am, police said.

Muth was not in a crosswalk, according to Black, who oversees the traffic investigations team. He was unresponsive in the road when a Sonoma County sheriff’s deputy was among the first to arrive.

Driver Tobei Rei, 65, of Santa Rosa, told police he didn’t see Muth until he was too close to avoid him, Black said. He noted the roads were slick from recent rainfall.

Black asked any witnesses to the crash to call Officer Kenny Ferrigno at 707-543-3636.

You can reach Staff Writer Julie Johnson at 707-521-5220 or julie.johnson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @jjpressdem.