A Gualala woman was killed in a crash on the Sonoma Coast early Thursday, closing Highway 1 north of Jenner for several hours.
The 67-year-old woman was driving a white 1999 Volvo station wagon on the highway about a half mile north of the village, CHP Officer Jon Sloat said.
The Volvo crashed into a northbound pickup, a 2007 Ford flatbed utility truck driven by Jordan Tellez, 22, of San Francisco, Sloat said.
The woman was traveling south at about 40 mph, the truck heading north at 35 mph, Sloat said.
Tellez swerved to the right "as far as he could" but the cars collided head-on, Sloat said.
The woman apparently died immediately, he said. She had been wearing a seat belt and was trapped in the car.
Someone called 911 at 9:22 a.m. from a pay phone at the the River's End Restaurant and Inn, Monte Rio Fire Chief Steve Baxman said. There is little cellphone service in the area.
The two contractors in the Ford, who had been heading to Sea Ranch, were uninjured in the crash, Baxman said.
Crews cut into the Volvo to recover the body, he said.
The road, bordered by grassy bluffs near a trail leading down to Driftwood Beach, was closed for more than two hours and reduced to one lane for an additional hour following the crash.
You can reach Staff Writer Julie Johnson at 521-5220 or julie.johnson@pressdemocrat.com.
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