Lake County man killed in Highway 101 collision identified

Authorities have identified the Lake County man who died in a head-on collision on Highway 101 in Cloverdale on Wednesday morning as Orion Torney, 44, of Upper Lake, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.

Torney was driving north when he lost control of his silver Kia Forte and hit a guardrail, flipping the vehicle. The car, which was carrying two male passengers, landed on its wheels but ended up facing northbound traffic.

A Kia Optima then sideswiped the Forte before pulling over to the shoulder.

Moments later, authorities believe a Chrysler 200 slammed head-on into the Forte as the three men were getting out of the car. The force of the impact ejected Torney to the pavement, where he was later pronounced dead.

Both passengers were taken to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. One was treated for moderate injuries and the other for major injuries that authorities said were not life-threatening.

Neither of the two other drivers in the accident was seriously injured.

You can reach Staff Writer Ethan Varian at ethan.varian@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5412. On Twitter @ethanvarian