Car crashes into tree in Rohnert Park, near site of similar wreck a week ago
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Two men suffered major injuries Sunday morning when their car slammed into a tree along a curvy Rohnert Park road near where a similar crash occurred a week ago, authorities said.
Police said excessive speed and a wet roadway appeared to be factors in both crashes on Golf Course Drive.
“It’s eerily similar,” Rohnert Park Police Sgt. Kelly Koffler said of the latest crash.
Driver Thomas Fledderjohn, 30, of Rohnert Park, and his roommate, David Deng, 33, were eastbound on Golf Course Drive shortly before 9:15 a.m. Sunday when their car struck the median near Hacienda Circle as the roadway bends, Koffler said. The white Toyota Prius veered into the right lane and began to rotate. It then slammed into a tree near the Walmart Neighborhood Market, with the impact on the driver’s side, Koffler said.
Both men were pinned inside and had to be rescued by fire crews, he said. They were taken to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. The injuries did not appear to be life-threatening, Koffler said.
The roadway was closed for about two hours while officers investigated the crash.
Witnesses traveling behind the Prius told police the car was exceeding the speed limit of 35 mph.
On Feb. 3, Devante Harris, 20, of Rohnert Park, also lost control of his car going eastbound on Golf Course Drive around 7:30 p.m. His 2009 Toyota Corolla spun into the median and hit a tree near Halcyon Place.
A witness told police that Harris had passed other cars while going about 50 mph on the wet roadway.
Police said he also was not wearing a seat belt and was taken to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital with serious injuries.
Police have warned residents to slow down on the busy road that connects numerous neighborhoods to Highway 101, especially during heavy rain.
They also have stepped up patrols.
“It’s been a focus of traffic enforcement,” Koffler said.
You can reach Staff Writer Bill Swindell at 707-521-5223 or bill.swindell@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @BillSwindell.
