CHP: Man hit twice, killed while standing on Highway 101 in Rohnert Park

A man died Sunday morning in Rohnert Park after he got out of his car on Highway 101 and a pickup truck crashed into it, the California Highway Patrol said.

The crash, which injured four others, happened around 4 a.m. on the northbound side of the freeway, north of the Rohnert Park Expressway exit.

Investigators believe a Nissan was stopped in the middle lane and its driver, whose name has not been released, was standing near it, the CHP said.

“It is unknown at this time why the vehicle was stopped, whether voluntarily by the driver or for mechanical reasons,” the CHP said in a statement.

Rick Barretta, 41, was driving north in a Ford F-250 when he rear-ended the Nissan, which lurched forward and hit the man standing in the roadway, the CHP said.

The driver of the Nissan was then hit by a second pickup, a Ford F-150 driven by Jorge Mendoza-Suarez, 26, the CHP said.

The man driving the Nissan was pronounced dead at the scene, the CHP said.

Barretta and three passengers in his pickup were taken to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital with minor injuries, according to the CHP. Mendoza-Suarez was not injured, the CHP said.

Authorities are urging anyone with information about the crash to contact the Santa Rosa CHP office at 707-588-1400.

You can reach Staff Writer Matt Pera at matthew.pera@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @Matt__Pera.