Pedestrian struck, killed on Mendocino Avenue in Santa Rosa

A man was struck and killed Monday afternoon in Santa Rosa by a northbound truck as he tried to cross Mendocino Avenue, closing the busy thoroughfare in both directions for five hours.

Several witnesses said they recognized the victim from around the area and some suggested he may have been homeless, although police said that hadn’t been confirmed. Police hadn’t determined his identity as of late Monday. The man, thought to be at least in his 60s, died at the scene.

The pedestrian was the second man hit by a vehicle in Santa Rosa in the past three days.

His possessions, including a sleeping bag, a pull-cart, a brown fedora and one black shoe, were strewn across 80 feet of Mendocino from where he was struck. A white plastic laundry basket came to rest almost underneath the passenger side of the Toyota Tacoma that hit him.

The pickup driver, Bob Shor, 73, spoke with police and was cooperative, Sgt. Mike Numainville said late Monday. He was not cited, and alcohol wasn’t believed to have been a factor.

Shor is a longtime running coach in Santa Rosa, with the Santa Rosa Express track club and at Santa Rosa High School. He was headed to practice at the school when the crash occurred, a colleague said.

Police said the pedestrian was hit at about 2:50 p.m. as he tried to cross Mendocino Avenue between Benton and Carrillo streets, just south of Santa Rosa High School and Santa Rosa Junior College. Dozens of students were leaving school at the time, walking, skateboarding or bicycling along Mendocino.

Shor immediately sought help, one witness said.

Several others also stopped to render assistance, including Kim Batchelder, who works at the Sonoma County Open Space District offices across Mendocino.

“I heard it. It sounded like two cars crashing,” he said. “I tried to give first aid or CPR. I tried to get him to respond, tried to get him breathing, but no such luck.”

He said the man had a head wound, so he wasn’t comfortable trying to move him. Soon, the man’s body was covered in a yellow police blanket.

Shor was checked out by paramedics and was speaking with police accident investigators at the scene. He appeared distraught, slumping on a low, rock wall while accident investigators interviewed him.

“He tried to find help,” Batchelder said. “I heard him yelling for help.”

Friends Leithan Pulon and Richard Romaker, both SRJC students, were on their way home when they heard about the accident. They thought the pedestrian may have been homeless.

“We’ve seen him around here before,” said Pulon of the pedestrian. “He’s an older guy.”

Shor was traveling north on Mendocino when he hit the pedestrian, who was crossing in between Benton and Carrillo streets. Benton has a marked crosswalk with an overhead flashing signal. The crash occurred almost equidistant between the two streets.

Mendocino between Benton Street and College Avenue was closed well into the evening, with traffic being diverted onto side streets.

In another incident on Friday, a 56-year-old man suffered numerous broken bones when he was struck and knocked to the ground crossing Marlow Road just before 7:30 p.m., Santa Rosa police Sgt. Lisa Banayat said.

The man, whose name wasn’t available Monday, had been drinking and was carrying a container of alcohol, she said. Whether the alcohol played a role in the event remained under investigation.

He’d been crossing the road near the Marlow Road shopping center and wasn’t in a crosswalk. Night had fallen and the man was wearing dark clothing, according to police reports.

Arriving officers found him lying in the street. An ambulance took him to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, where he was listed as stable in the intensive care unit, Banayat said.

The driver, whose name also wasn’t available Monday morning, stopped and was cooperating with the investigation.

Staff Writer Randi Rossmann contributed to this report. You can reach Lori A. Carter at 762-7297 or lori.carter @pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @loriacarter.