A man hit by a car in a College Avenue crosswalk early Monday may be a transient who frequents the downtown area, Santa Rosa police said Monday afternoon as they tried to establish his identity.
The pedestrian suffered major injuries in the 5:19 a.m. crash at College and Mendocino avenues. Officers Monday afternoon were showing his photo to people downtown hoping to find friends or acquaintances, said Sgt. Lance Badger.
There have been a rash of serious pedestrian-vehicle collisions in Santa Rosa in the past year and a half. At least eight people had been killed, most of whom were transients. Many had been intoxicated.
Badger said whether alcohol was involved in Monday's pre-dawn crash wasn't known.
Santa Rosa police also hoped to find witnesses to help determine what happened. It remained unclear where the pedestrian was in the crosswalk when he was hit and who had the green light, said Badger.
The driver, a Santa Rosa man, was westbound on College Avenue in a Honda Accord. The pedestrian was walking south on Mendocino Avenue.
It appeared that pedestrian, he was thrown against the windshield, over the car into the rear window before landing in the roadway. He sustained a broken leg and internal injuries and underwent surgery at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.
The driver, whose name wasn't released, suffered minor injuries from flying windshield glass. He was taken to Kaiser Medical Center.
The collision occurred in heavy fog and the pre-dawn darkness. Through much of the morning, the Honda remained askew in the roadway and bloodied clothing lay on the ground near the car where it had been cut away by paramedics. The street fully reopened just before 11 a.m.
Officers said they located one witness to the crash and hoped to find more. Badger asked anyone with information to contact Officer Ken Carstensen, (707) 543-3636.
UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy: