The Rohnert Park mother injured and toddler daughter killed Wednesday were walking hand-in-hand in a Snyder Lane crosswalk when a car struck them as they headed home from playing at a park, police said Friday.
The new details were released Friday as Ling Murray, 42, remained in critical condition at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, hospital staff said. Murray suffered multiple broken bones and other major injuries and was in a medically induced coma, said her step-father-in-law, Al Andres of Hartly, Del.
Murray's daughter, 2-year-old Calli Murray, died shortly after the collision.
The driver of the car was identified as Kaitlyn Dunaway, 18, a freshman at nearby Sonoma State University and standout volleyball player. She was driving a 1997 Honda on Snyder Lane and failed to stop at the crosswalk, hitting the pedestrians at 5:30 p.m., Rohnert Park Public Safety officials said.
The mother and child were crossing Snyder Lane when Dunaway approached from a southbound lane, said Rohnert Park Public Safety Department officials.
"We're placing them in the crosswalk at the time of the accident based on a witness' statement," Lt. Jeff Taylor said.
Another driver had stopped in a southbound left-hand turn lane at the crosswalk and saw the young driver hit the Murrays, Taylor said.
Two officers had pulled a driver over on Medical Center Drive for a traffic stop and heard the crash, he said. They ran to the Murrays' aid.
Officers will continue to interview witnesses and review evidence to determine why the crash occurred, if a cause can be found, Taylor said. There was no information on whether any charges would be filed in the case.
Dunaway is a defensive specialist on the university's volleyball team, school staff confirmed Friday. She graduated from Petaluma High School and was named the North Coast Section's most valuable player in 2009, according to her team profile. On the site, she wrote that she hopes to become a police officer after she graduates.
Efforts to contact her were unsuccessful Friday.
At Petaluma High, Dunaway outpaced many other high school athletes with the power she threw behind each ball hit, her coach said in a 2010 Press Democrat story after she signed with Sonoma State. Her passion for the game buoyed the team, another coach said.
Sonoma State Volleyball Head Coach Edward Grassl, who goes by "Bear," called the team together Friday to talk with them about the crash. Team practices had been on an hiatus since their fall season ended Nov. 18.
"All day I've been trying to think of what do you tell somebody..." Grassl said. "It's just devastating on all fronts."
The players had heard about the crash, but few knew that one of their teammates had been involved, he said.
Grassl said he spoke with Dunaway once, and said the freshman was "taking it pretty hard."
"We want to give support to our girl, but we also want to acknowledge and give our condolences to the family," Grassl said of the Murrays. "It's very devastating to everyone."
Andres was at the hospital early Friday with Jeff Murray, 46, who was at his wife's side with her son, his stepson, Tian Tian Li, 14, who goes by Corey.
Jeff Murray has been unemployed and his family uninsured since he was laid off from his job at Itt Biw Connectors Systems, an electric connectors manufacturer in Santa Rosa, about a year ago, Andres said.
The family is trying to research options for how to cover Ling Murray's medical care, he said.
On Wednesday, Murray and her child were leaving Sunrise Park, just across the street and around the corner from their home, family members said.
The Honda struck the Murrays as they tried to cross Snyder Lane near Medical Center Drive, just north of Rohnert Park Expressway.
Medical Center Drive leads to a neighborhood of pediatric and other medical business as well as several child care centers.
Workers at nearby businesses said that crossing Snyder Lane was difficult, particularly during high traffic times when school lets out or when parents come to pick up their children at one of the neighboring child care centers.
Warner "Mike" Hepsley, 75, who lives near Sunrise Park, said he's starting a petition to ask the Rohnert Park City Council to make the intersection safer by adding lights or signs.
He was at the site of the crash Friday talking to people in the area.
"I talked to some of the old timers here like myself and they're afraid to cross here," the retired iron worker said. "I don't know what the answer is, but I'm trying to do my part to get them to do something about this."
By the time the sun had set on Friday, a shrine that began with a single, fuzzy teddy bear placed below a sign for Sunrise Park near the site of the crash had grown into a menagerie of stuffed animals and toys.
People continued to bring mementos, including a jogger who stopped to place a white bear at the site. Cards expressed condolences and shared stories of loss.
A ziplocked bag held three cookies and a note from a person named Eva: "Here's some cookies, baby girl. We love you and miss you."
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