CHP: 2 unusual Highway 101 crashes include boat knocked from trailer into car

Multiple crashes along Highway 101 early Monday included one that launched a boat from a trailer into a vehicle and a second that left a pickup on top of a sedan, according to the CHP.

Injuries from the collisions were minor. The crashes, along with at least two others in the early commute hours, created extra Monday morning headaches for drivers along the highway corridor and feeder routes.

At 5:50 a.m., four vehicles collided on northbound Highway 101 near Golf Course Drive in Rohnert Park after the driver of a Hyundai Sonata failed to slow enough for stalled traffic, CHP Officer Jon Sloat said.

The driver rear-ended a trailer holding a boat, with the impact launching the boat into a nearby Honda Accord while the trailer hit the GMC truck towing it. The truck and trailer crashed in the center divider. The crash blocked two lanes for about 40 minutes, and one person went to a hospital for a precautionary evaluation. Officers are looking at whether fatigue was a factor, Sloat said.

About 6:40 a.m., with traffic already snarled from the earlier crash, more vehicles collided on Highway 101, this time near the Highway 116 juncture in southern Rohnert Park.

The driver of a Honda Accord didn’t stop for slowed traffic and hit the back of a Toyota Tacoma pickup. The impact shoved the sedan under the pickup, leaving the truck sitting atop the smaller car. Vehicle debris scattered across the highway.

The pickup driver was able to get out of his truck, but the sedan driver’s legs were pinned by the crushed dash. Firefighters stabilized the truck and helped the man out, Rancho Adobe fire Battalion Chief Herb Wandel said. The driver was taken by ambulance to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital for what appeared to be minor injuries.

This crash also blocked lanes for about 40 minutes. Officers are looking at whether the Honda driver was going too fast for the conditions. Rain that fell during the night made the roadway slicker, Sloat said.

You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 707-521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter@Rossmannreport