A Cloverdale resident was struck and injured in a crosswalk Sunday evening by a motorist whose mother was killed in a similar accident last year, police said.
Gloria Ponce, 45, of Cloverdale struck a man in a crosswalk at Cloverdale Boulevard and Brookside Drive about 5:40 p.m., police said.
The pedestrian, Seth Barrow, 50, of Cloverdale was walking his dog westbound across the boulevard and was hit by a Toyota Camry driven by Ponce.
Barrow was treated at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital for possible injuries to his neck, back shoulder and knee and released early Monday, said Cloverdale Police Sgt. Scott Allred. Barrow's dog was not hurt.
Police said Ponce stopped at the traffic signal at Brookside Drive, then turned southbound onto Cloverdale Boulevard and failed to see the pedestrian. Police said it is unclear who had the green light and an investigation is continuing.
Ponce, who called The Press Democrat, said she had a green light and turned left onto the boulevard. "I didn't see him. It was an accident," she said.
Allred said there was no indication that Ponce was under the influence of alcohol, nor was there any evidence that she had been talking or texting on her cell phone.
"She was totally cooperative," said Allred, adding that her cell phone was checked by police and Ponce voluntarily submitted to a blood test.
Ponce's 68-year-old mother, Maria Ponce, was struck and fatally injured in a crosswalk at Cloverdale Boulevard and Healdsbsurg Avenue after dark on July 7.
The pickup driver who struck her, Guadalupe Castro Barragan, 83, said he didn't see Ponce, although police said he was not wearing required corrective lenses. Barragan was cited for not wearing corrective lenses and for failure to yield the right-of-way. He faces a charge of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence.
Members of Ponce's large family - consisting of eight children and 33 grandchildren - implored the Cloverdale City Council to put in safety improvements at the Healdsburg Avenue crosswalk, just south of the Citrus Fairgrounds.
Their complaints gained momentum when two cousins, ages 12 and 13, were struck by a pickup driver in the same crosswalk on Halloween night.
The Police Department said that intersection had been the scene of five accidents during the previous year involving pedestrians or bicyclists struck by vehicles.
Maria Ponce's eight children filed claims against the city in January, alleging that officials were negligent in failing to remedy the dangerous conditions at the Healdsburg Avenue crosswalk.
Last month, city officials hailed the installation of a flashing crosswalk system installed at the Healdsburg Avenue intersection.
The $60,000 LightGuard system provides road-embedded, flashing amber LED lights on each side of the crosswalk.
When the council approved the system in November, Ponce family members said it gave them a small measure of peace.
Staff Writer Martin Espinoza contributed to this article. Staff Writer Guy Kovner can be reached at guy.kovner@pressdemocrat.com or 521-5457.
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