CHP: Driver arrested in Petaluma head-on DUI crash

A driver was arrested early Friday in a suspected head-on DUI crash in Petaluma that sent him and two others to the hospital, according to authorities.

Around 1 a.m., a passing motorist reported the crash on Adobe Road between Lynch and Corona roads, said Officer David deRutte, a spokesperson for the California Highway Patrol.

Investigators determined a northbound Ford Fusion driven by Mauricio Gopar, 27, of Petaluma, veered into the southbound lanes and hit a southbound Subaru Forester head on.

The Subaru was driven by a 65-year-old Fairfield man who was sent to Providence Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital in Santa Rosa for major injuries that were not life-threatening. His passenger, a 63-year-old Fairfield woman, was also transported to the Santa Rosa hospital for minor to moderate injuries, according to CHP.

Gopar was hospitalized for minor injuries, deRutte said.

CHP investigators determined Gopar was under the influence of alcohol and once he was cleared by medical staff he was booked into the Sonoma County jail on suspicion of felony DUI.

deRutte did not know Gopar’s bail amount.

Petaluma Police Department assisted with traffic control, he said.

You can reach Staff Writer Alana Minkler at 707-526-8511 or alana.minkler@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @alana_minkler.