Driver dies in Sonoma Coast head-on crash

One driver was pronounced dead, and another driver was arrested after a two-car crash blocked Hwy. 1 near Gerstle Cove for more than two hours Thursday.|
JULIE JOHNSON
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

A driver was in custody Thursday night after being involved in a fatal head-on collision in the afternoon on Highway 1 near Salt Point State Park, the CHP said.

CHP Officer Jon Sloat confirmed the arrest in an email Thursday night. Additional information was not available.

Both lanes of Highway 1 near Gerstle Cove were blocked following the 2 p.m. crash. The highway reopened at 4:30 p.m.

The male driver of the second car was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash and his female passenger was out of the vehicle. Details about her injuries were not yet known, Sloat said.

Authorities suspect the driver of the first vehicle had been drinking and officers had begun a DUI investigation, Sloat said earlier in the afternoon.

Staff Writer Christi Warren contributed to this report.

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