Sonoma Valley crash injures six

Six Sonoma residents had to be taken to regional hospitals after a head-on collision south of town.

The 6:10 p.m. crash happened after a driver crossed the double-yellow lines on Broadway near Watmaugh Road, according to emergency dispatch reports. Ty Randol Caton, 48, proprietor and winemaker at Ty Caton Vineyards, was traveling west in a 2016 Range Rover and crossed into the eastbound lane into the path of a 2013 Chevrolet Captiva, the CHP said.

Two helicopters, four ambulances, two fire agencies and several CHP officers responded due to the number of injured, including a 15-year-old girl.

Five people were in the Chevrolet, driven by Martin Arias Barajas, 52, who was seriously hurt, CHP said. He and a backseat passenger were trapped in the severely damaged SUV and cut free by firefighters.

What caused the crash remained under investigation Monday, but alcohol and drugs weren't suspected, the CHP said.

Charlotte Galloway of Sonoma said she was driving just ahead and happened to look into her rearview mirror just as the collision occurred.

“I just saw his headlights drift into the oncoming lane,” Galloway said Monday.

She stopped to call 911 and ran back to see what she could do. Other people also stopped and came out of nearby homes and businesses.

“It was bad,” Galloway said. “I've never seen anything like that.”

Firefighters also had to free Caton from the wreck, Schell-Vista Fire Chief Ray Mulas said Monday.

The crash happened on a straight stretch of roadway near the Wine County Garden Center. The helicopter pilots used a nearby empty lot to land.

Caton suffered moderate injuries and was taken by ambulance to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.

Barajas was airlifted to a Kaiser hospital in Vacaville, while his passenger, Maria Celina Barajas, 45, was airlifted to Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa. His other passengers, Lucy Barrera, 52, Miriam Nolazzo, 18, and a 15-year-old female, were taken by ambulance to the Napa hospital with what were believed to be minor injuries.

Everyone was wearing seat belts, CHP said.

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