A vehicle crash that a left a motorcyclist badly injured Wednesday morning and closed a west Santa Rosa intersection for two hours appears to have been caused by an unlicensed 16-year-old girl at the wheel of a relative's car, police said.
The driver, who had her infant child in the back of the car, was southbound on Coffey Lane around 8:34 a.m. when she turned left in front of the oncoming motorcyclist at West Steele Lane, Sgt. Rich Celli said.
The 25-year-old motorcyclist, whose name was still being confirmed, was ejected from his Honda 1000 sport bike and flung into the windshield of the girl's Hundai SUV, Celli said.
He suffered brain bleed as a result and was taken by ambulance to a local hospital, Celli said. The man's injuries did not appear life-threatening at this point, he said.
The teen-age driver was uninjured, Celli said. Her baby did not appear to be injured but was taken to the hospital for observation.
The registered owner of the SUV was cited to appear in court for permitting an unlicensed driver to operate the vehicle, Celli said.
The crash remains under investigation, and charges against the teen are pending, he said.
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