Pedestrian hit, killed by SUV in Santa Rosa intersection

A pedestrian died after being hit by an SUV at an intersection near downtown Santa Rosa Wednesday morning, police said.

The collision, the third pedestrian fatality in Santa Rosa over the past month, was reported about 6 a.m. at College and Mendocino avenues.

The pedestrian was a homeless man identified as David Allen Wensloff, 57, of San Luis Obispo, according to Sgt. Chris Mahurin, a Santa Rosa Police spokesman.

He was at the southwest corner of the intersection when he began walking north across College Avenue.

A 26-year-old Santa Rosa man driving west in a Toyota Rav4 struck the pedestrian who was in the right lane of College, Mahurin said.

Investigators are trying to determine if the man was in a crosswalk and how fast the driver was going, Mahurin said.

"So far, evidence indicates the driver had a green light and the pedestrian was walking against a red light,“ Mahurin said.

The pedestrian was thrown into the air and came to rest about 100 feet from where he was hit, according to Mahurin, who noted that it was unclear whether the man traveled part of that distance on the hood of the car.

He was taken in an ambulance to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The driver cooperated with investigators and is not suspected of intoxicated driving. He was released after police questioned him, Mahurin said.

Police say the Toyota was left with “severe damage” and had to be towed from the scene.

Pedestrians were involved in all three of Santa Rosa’s fatal collisions this year.

The first crash happened Feb. 18 in the northwestern part of the city. Constantino Zamudio Calderon, 69, of Santa Rosa was struck by a Cadillac sedan as he crossed Marlow Road, south of its intersection with Guerneville Road.

The second fatal crash occurred Feb. 28, where Stony Point Road crosses over Highway 12. The pedestrian was identified as Aephone Soundara, a 59-year-old transient out of Santa Rosa.

Staff writer Colin Atagi contributed to this report.

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