One dead in head-on crash on Highway 12

A man died Monday morning after he drove into incoming traffic and crashed head-on into a truck on Highway 12, prompting authorities to close both sides of the highway for more than two hours.

The two-vehicle collision was reported at 11:48 a.m. on Highway 12 near Merced Avenue, just west of Santa Rosa, the CHP said.

An initial investigation showed a driver headed east in a green Honda Civic drove onto the shoulder of the road before going back into his lane and into oncoming traffic, where he collided with a Ford F-250 truck, CHP spokesman Officer David deRutte said.

The man in the Civic was pronounced dead at the scene, deRutte said. Two people in the Ford suffered minor injuries and were taken by ambulance to the Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, he added.

Highway 12 was closed to vehicles in both directions near the collision site until about 2 p.m., the CHP said.

It was not clear what caused the driver of the Honda to cross into the opposite lane, deRutte said. The Sonoma County Coroner’s Office will release the man’s name after his family members are notified, deRutte said.

You can reach Staff Writer Nashelly Chavez at 707-521-5203 or nashelly.chavez@pressdemocrat.com.