A Santa Rosa man standing outside his parked car on a busy west Santa Rosa street was struck and killed Tuesday by a pickup driven by a man suspected of being drunk, police said.
The victim, who police did not identify pending notification of his family, was next to the driver's side door of his pale yellow 1969 Cadillac on Occidental Road, just west of Stony Point Road, when he was hit by the passenger side of a contractor's 2002 Chevrolet 3500 pickup, Santa Rosa Police Sgt. Brad Conners said.
He was treated and transported to Memorial Hospital where he died of his injuries, Conners said. The man was believed to be in his 70s and lived in Santa Rosa, Conners said.
The driver of the truck, Enrique Sanabria-Ruiz, 47, of Santa Rosa, was arrested on suspicion of felony DUI and vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence after failing a field sobriety test, Conners said. Sanabria-Ruiz was headed west on Occidental Road when he struck the man. He continued west before turning around and returning to the scene, parking behind the Cadillac.
There were no skid marks on the road and speed did not appear to be a factor in the accident, Conners said.
"The victim was standing at the door of his car," he said. "He just got hit by the truck as it came by."
Police closed Occidental Road at Stony Point Road until about 9 p.m. to investigate the accident. A representative from the Sonoma County District Attorney's Office was on scene as investigators determined what charges, if any, would be brought against the truck driver.
The truck was modified with a utility bed that is a few inches wider than its front cab. It has extended side mirrors so the driver can see around the truck bed. Sanabria-Ruiz's truck had a decal on the side doors for Northern Pacific Corp., a general contractor based in Sonoma. A call to its main business office Tuesday evening was not returned.
Police asked anyone with information on the incident to call Officer Mike Mieger at (707) 543-3636.
You can reach Staff Writer Elizabeth M. Cosin at 521-5276 or elizabeth.cosin@pressdemocrat.com.
UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy: