Bodega Highway crash injures one

A Santa Rosa man was injured Monday morning in a rollover crash on rural Bodega Highway outside Sebastopol, the CHP said.

Michael Ruiz, 50, was heading eastbound when he lost control of his 2014 Hyundai sedan and struck a utility pole off the side of the road, causing the car to flip, the CHP said.

The accident occurred just after 8 a.m. on a hilly stretch of highway near Barnett Valley Road, just east of the town of Freestone.

Ruiz suffered minor injuries despite his car landing on its roof, emergency personnel said.

Firefighters were able to get Ruiz out of the car without much trouble, Gold Ridge Fire Engineer Robert Coxon said. The driver was wearing a seat belt, likely limiting his injuries, Coxon said.

Ruiz was taken by ambulance to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital for evaluation and treatment, authorities said.

Coxon said the wreckage blocked the lane for nearly a half-hour while emergency responders directed drivers around the crash.

There were not reports of impairment or intoxication related to the crash.

You can reach Staff Writer Mary Callahan at 707-521-5249 or mary.callahan@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MaryCallahanB.