Cloverdale father and daughter critically injured in Highway 101 crash

A Cloverdale father and daughter remained at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital on Saturday, fighting for their lives after they were involved Friday in a crash on Highway 101 near Geyserville that killed two others.

Richard Anderson, 50, and his 18-year-old daughter, Abby, were airlifted from the crash to the Santa Rosa hospital, CHP Officer Crandon Kopriva said.

The two were in critical condition Saturday evening in the hospital’s intensive care unit, spokeswoman Vanessa DeGier said.

Abby Anderson had been driving north on the highway around 5:40 p.m. Friday when a Ford pickup slammed into their white Jeep Grand Cherokee south of Independence Lane, Kopriva said.

The truck was heading south on the highway when it veered into the median. It then rolled and skidded into the northbound lane, crashing into the Cherokee, CHP said.

Richard Anderson appears to be one of three dentists who practice at Vineyard Dental Group on Doctors Park Drive in Santa Rosa. The group’s Facebook page Saturday featured a link to a Press Democrat story on the crash and included this post: “Please keep Dr. Anderson and his daughter in your prayers. Send kisses or good vibes. They can use them all.”

On Friday, a third car, a Dodge Avenger sedan driven by Santa Rosa teen Emily Hinojos, 17, was unable to avoid the collision, Kopriva said. All three vehicles slammed into a fence on the east side of the highway.

Hinojos, her 9-year-old sister, Daniella, and father, Brian, 52, escaped serious injuries. But the family was shaken by the accident.

Brian Hinojos said he and his daughters were headed to the Friday night farmers market and street fair in Cloverdale.

“We’d never been there,” he said. “This was the first time we tried making it up there.”

He described the crash that ended their outing as “surreal” but declined to comment further about it.

“I’m just trying to get through it right now with my kids,” he said.

The Ford pickup driver and his passenger, both 21, died at the scene.

Authorities have not released their names. They’re still trying to locate family members, Kopriva said.

“We haven’t been able to find someone locally who knows them,” he said.

CHP officials believe the driver lived in Santa Rosa or Windsor, although the truck had Arizona license plates. The pickup likely belonged to an employer or friend, Kopriva said.

Officers believe the passenger lived in Cloverdale, although her identification card listed an address out of Susanville in Lassen County.

The crash remains under investigation.

Kopriva said it’s still unclear why the pickup veered into the median. With the driver and passenger both dead, he said, “We don’t know if we’re going to be able to find out.”

You can reach Staff Writer Eloísa Ruano González at 521-5458 or?eloisa.gonzalez@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @eloisanews.