A Vallejo woman and her young daughter had been to a family graduation party in Sonoma County Saturday night and were headed home when another driver — apparently drinking a beer as he drove — crashed head-on into their car.
Betty Osotonu, 65, was killed when the front of her 1994 Toyota Camry crumpled about her.
Her 8-year-old daughter was found in the front seat - possibly thrown forward in the impact, Petaluma Lt. Tim Lyons said Monday.
The girl wasn't seriously injured. Screaming, she was taken out of the wreckage by a driver who stopped to help.
Bruce MacDonell said he guided the girl to the side of Lakeville Highway where he and another good Samaritan held her and bundled her in sweaters.
Petaluma traffic investigators suspect driver Jesse Cockrill, 25, of Petaluma probably was intoxicated and had been drinking as he drove, Lyons said.
They found an open 24-ounce can of beer in his smashed 2005 Lincoln.
Petaluma firefighters had to use the Jaws of Life to cut Cockrill from his car.
Cockrill suffered numerous serious injuries but was expected to survive. He was in critical condition Monday at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.
The girl was hospitalized with minor injuries but had been released by Monday, Lyons said.
The 10 p.m. crash occurred near South McDowell Boulevard Extension.
Driver MacDonell of Guerneville, headed home from a Tahoe trip, said he was headed west, two cars behind Cockrill.
He didn't see the crash but knew one had occurred.
"What I saw immediately was debris sliding across the road," MacDonell said. "I came to an abrupt stop."
The professional handyman said he has taken CPR and had some first aid training. Wanting to see if he could help he got out of his truck. "I opened my door and heard that girl screaming. That was rough."
With a feeling of dread, MacDonell headed for the twisted and accordioned Camry. He found the distraught girl in the front seat, inches from her dead mother.
"There was no helping the driver," he said.
But the girl seemed to be moving all right and there was spilled gasoline and he wanted to get her away from the horrendous scene. "She needed to get out of there."
MacDonell brought her out the passenger front door, which had busted open in the impact. He took her to the side of the road and held her tightly, wanting to calm her and keep her from moving in case she had injuries.
"I held her in place. I was just trying to keep her steady," he said.
Afterward MacDonell was irritated with himself for not thinking to grab the sleeping bag he keeps in his truck as he would have used it to keep the girl warm.
But others also stopped to help.
"Someone else put sweaters over her," he said. "Another gal was very helpful, very kind. She stayed in front of the little girl, talked softly to her, asked her questions to distract her."
MacDonell, the father of a 10-year-old, said the situation shook him. "That could be any of us. Life is so fragile."
The girl told the strangers she and her mom had been at a graduation party that night, apparently for a cousin, MacDonell said.
Lyons confirmed they'd been at a graduation gathering, either in Rohnert Park or Petaluma. He said several drivers stopped to help at the scene but couldn't confirm MacDonell's account.
Police Monday still were investigating, including where Cockrill had been and what he'd been doing. They're also attempting to determine the speed of the cars based on the extensive vehicle damage.
While officers believe Cockrill was legally intoxicated they haven't arrested him, Lyons said, awaiting toxicology results and input from county prosecutors.
Fatal car crashes require extensive scene investigation. Petaluma officers were on the roadway until about 4:30 a.m. Sunday, Lyons said.
You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com.
UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy: