Driver in Highway 116 crash was Ukiah woman

The woman drove into a power pole Tuesday, and repairs kept Highway 116 in Forestville closed almost 12 hours.|
RANDI ROSSMANN
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

A driver who crashed Tuesday on Highway 116, suffering serious injuries and closing the highway in Forestville for 12 hours, was identified Wednesday by the CHP as a Ukiah woman.

Anitza Urquiza, 31, was taken to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. A hospital spokeswoman Wednesday said Urquiza wasn’t a patient. It wasn’t clear whether she was transfered to another hospital.

Urquiza apparently made an unsafe turn, causing her to run off the rural highway about 8:20 a.m. as she traveled between Green Valley and Martinelli Roadj, west of Forestville. Her Toyota 4Runner hit a power pole and trees, knocking the pole down and pulling live power lines onto the roadway.

The impact pinned her by the crushed dashboard and Forestville firefighters cut her free. The CHP said she suffered major, but not life-threatening injuries.

Repairs to the pole and lines lasted into Tuesday night and the highway opened at 8 p.m.

-Randi Rossmann

UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy:
  • This is a family newspaper, please use a kind and respectful tone.
  • No profanity, hate speech or personal attacks. No off-topic remarks.
  • No disinformation about current events.
  • We will remove any comments — or commenters — that do not follow this commenting policy.
Send a letter to the editor