Pedestrian identified in fatal Santa Rosa collision

Quanah Sapien had just moved back to Santa Rosa when she was struck and killed by a car Monday night.

The 56-year-old Santa Rosa native was hit by a pickup truck around 7 p.m. as she crossed Piner Road, heading from a Walgreens store to the Park Vue Apartments, police said in a news release.

Sapien, a devoted mother and grandmother, had returned to Sonoma County within the last four or five months after living in New York, said her elder brother, Louis Sapien, 57. She temporarily was staying with her three sons and two grandchildren in the northwest Santa Rosa apartment complex.

As Sapien entered the westbound lane, an approaching Ford Ranger struck her, Santa Rosa police said.

Although the area was lit by streetlights, it was dark and raining, and she was not in a crosswalk, police said.

Her husband, whom she met in Windsor and had been together with for more than three decades, “saw the whole thing,” said Louis Sapien, who lives in Clearlake. He said Anthony Isbell suffered a minor heart attack after witnessing the collision.

Santa Rosa Police Sgt. Jeneane Kucker confirmed an unnamed male family member who was at the crash site was taken to a local hospital within an hour or two of the collision. He was not involved in the accident, she said.

Pickup driver Keith Roberts, 35, of Santa Rosa, wasn’t injured. He stayed at the crash site and cooperated with police. Alcohol or drugs do not appear to be a factor, police said.

Officers are still investigating whether speed or distracted driving could have contributed to the crash, Kucker said. The speed limit is 40 mph, she said.

Sapien attended Bellevue Elementary School and Cook Junior High School, her brother said.

“She was quiet, kind and loving,” he said.

She was a devoted stay-at-home mom with three sons and a daughter, he said. She had five grandchildren and a great-?granddaughter who she never had the chance to meet.

“She was a really good mother,” her brother said. “She made sure they went to school and always made sure they had food on the table. She loved them.”

Quanah Sapien lived in Sonoma County for most of her life, leaving only for about seven years to live with a friend in Brighton, New York, her brother said.

She had a wonderful sense of humor, said Louis Sapien, who would speak with his sister by phone at least once a week. He said he was the only one who could make her laugh.

The collision remained under investigation Tuesday. Police asked anyone with information to contact Officer Jeff Woods at 707-543-3636.