Rohnert Park pedestrian identified in fatal collision

Authorities have identified the Rohnert Park man who died Friday afternoon after being hit by a car while he crossed a street.

Conrad Reynolds, 82, was struck on Rohnert Park Expressway between San Simeon Drive and Snyder Lane, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office announced Wednesday.

The collision is being investigated by the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety.

Reynolds was not using a crosswalk when he headed south and was hit by a burgundy Ford Fusion that was traveling east.

He was on a section of Rohnert Park Expressway with two lanes in each direction and trees lining the raised center median.

Investigators have not determined where Reynolds was headed and if the trees prevented the driver from seeing him.

“We do know that he did step out from the median. However, how close in proximity to the trees, we are unsure,” Rohnert Park Deputy Chief Aaron Johnson said Tuesday.

The driver, who was a described as a young woman, stopped and cooperated with investigators. Her name hasn’t been released.

Several witnesses and passersby said they saw or heard the collision and tried to help Reynolds.

Among them was a group of traveling nurses who were giving COVID-19 vaccinations outside the Rohnert Park Community Center along the expressway, just yards from the collision scene.

They said they checked over Reynolds and it was obvious his injuries were life-threatening.

“As nurses, we did what we could,” Ericka Stephens, a registered nurse with Logistics Health Institute in Riverside, said.

Police shut down eastbound lanes for several hours while they investigated the collision. Westbound traffic was not affected.

You can reach Staff Writer Colin Atagi at colin.atagi@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @colin_atagi