A Santa Rosa man suffering critical head injuries from being hit by a car in a downtown Santa Rosa crosswalk is the latest victim in a series of vehicle-pedestrian collisions in Sonoma County that have killed at least three people and maimed many others.
Joseph Dailey, 63, was in critical condition Tuesday at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. He was hit while crossing Fifth Street in a crosswalk at Mendocino Avenue at about 9:50 p.m. Monday, said Sgt. Clay Van Artsdalen.
The driver was Vanessa Pritchard, 28, of Santa Rosa. Investigators don't believe alcohol was a factor for the driver or the pedestrian, Van Artsdalen said.
Dailey is the fourth person struck in a Santa Rosa crosswalk since March, a list that includes a young man killed as he was riding a skateboard across Mendocino Avenue.
Santa Rosa is the latest police agency to deal with a rash of collisions involving pedestrians, bicyclists and skateboarders being hit by vehicles.
In March, a blind couple was injured after being hit in Santa Rosa while crossing West Third Street in a lighted crosswalk.
Santa Rosa resident Joe Hyland, 24, was killed the night of March 25 as he crossed Mendocino Avenue on a skateboard in a crosswalk.
Others have died after being struck in Rohnert Park and Cloverdale.
Rohnert Park launched a study of pedestrian safety earlier this year after the death in December of Calli Murray, 2, who was hit while walking with her mother in a Snyder Lane crosswalk. Her mother, Ling Murray, suffered serious injuries.
Miguel Sanchez, 83, died in December when struck by a hit-and-run driver while crossing a street in downtown Cloverdale.
In Petaluma, eight pedestrians and two bicyclists were struck in six incidents between Aug. 27 and late September, including two collisions in one day. In each case, the pedestrians were in paint-striped or flashing-light crosswalks and all were following the law, police said.
The bicyclists were in violation by riding instead of walking their bikes through the crosswalks.
On Monday night police closed the intersection of Fifth Street and Mendocino Avenue, a block from Old Courthouse Square, to investigate the latest incident.
Because of the seriousness of Dailey's injuries, which required surgery, police had not been able to interview him Tuesday.
Several aspects of the collision remained under investigation, including what direction he was walking when he was hit, Van Artsdalen said. The driver apparently was headed west on Fifth Street.
Traffic officers are hoping witnesses to the collision will come forward to help determine what happened, said Sgt. Phil Brazis. Witnesses are urged to contact Officer Christine Morrison at 543-3636.
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