West Santa Rosa crash injures four, including two young children

One driver apparently ran a red light at Fulton and Guerneville roads early Tuesday, causing a collision injuring four people, including two young children in an SUV, which flipped from the impact, according to Santa Rosa police.

Five people were in the two vehicles and four were taken to hospitals, including an 8-year-old girl and 7-year-old boy.

No one appeared to have suffered severe injuries. Most of it was cuts and abrasions from broken glass, Sgt. Mike Numainville said. “Everybody was buckled up.”

The 7:02 a.m. crash backed up traffic and temporarily blocked eastbound Guerneville Road.

The children were riding with their father, headed east into Santa Rosa on Guerneville Road. In the other car held two men headed north on Fulton Road. The vehicles met in the intersection. “Clearly one vehicle entered the intersection when they shouldn’t have,” Numainville said.

The collision knocked the Suburban SUV into the air and it overturned, smashing into a traffic light pole on the Guerneville Road center median where the vehicle landed. The light pole was knocked to the ground.

Traffic officers were talking to witnesses to determine who had the right-of-way but preliminarily it appeared other cars headed east on Guerneville Road also were moving, indicating the SUV may have had the green light, Numainville said.

Tammy Schmolder manages the Rotten Robbie gas station at the corner and was outside working when it happened.

“I heard it, then immediately saw everything flipping over. The SUV flipped over twice,” Schmolder said. “I’m not sure who hit who. I just saw the Honda flying through the intersection and the SUV rolling. I heard children screaming.”

Schmolder, a longtime station manager, said she yelled for a cashier to call 911 as she ran to try and help the man and two young children in the SUV.

“I was helping with the kids. The dad got them out of the car. I was able to sit down on the ground with the kids, get them calm,” said Schmolder. “I’m a mom,” Schmolder said, indicating she knew the kids would need hugs and reassurance.

Three AMR ambulances responded along with Santa Rosa firefighters.

Numainville asked anyone with information to contact Officer Steve Merical at 707-543-3636.

You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com or Twitter@rossmannreport.