A Santa Rosa man was in critical condition Saturday after he stepped into traffic on Highway 12 and into the path of a car, apparently while intoxicated, authorities said.
Cristino Hernandez, 29, was walking on the eastbound shoulder west of Stony Point Road when he suddenly crossed into eastbound traffic at about 8:30 p.m. Friday and was hit by a white Honda Prelude, the CHP said.
Hernandez fell to the street, causing a secondary accident when another driver, Ivan Reyes-Vicente, 18, swerved to avoid him and lost control of his car, ramming a guard rail in the center median, the CHP said.
The driver in the first car circled back to tell a CHP officer who came to the scene that he had seen the secondary collision in his rear view mirror, CHP Sgt. Kevin Mensior said.
But the man, Michael Garrett, 26, of Santa Rosa, said he didn't know anything about how the pedestrian got hurt, Mensior said Saturday.
It wasn't until several hours later that Garrett called the CHP and said he had found damage on the side of his car suggesting that his car hit Hernandez, Mensior said.
Hernandez was taken by ambulance to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, where a nursing supervisor Saturday said his condition was critical.
-- Mary Callahan
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