Redwood tree falls on truck, forces hours-long closure of Hwy. 116

A 200-foot redwood toppled across Highway 116 near Guerneville Sunday morning, knocking down power lines before landing on top of an occupied truck and shutting down the road for about four hours, the CHP said.

The driver, Robert Miller, 57, of Santa Rosa, walked away with minor injuries, and three passengers in his truck were unharmed, CHP Officer Will Brown said.

The incident was reported to authorities around 11:10 a.m., as Miller was going east on the road near Riverside Drive while pulling a travel trailer, Brown said.

The two-lane road, which serves as a major thorough fare between central Sonoma County and the coast, was closed to drivers in both directions until about 3 p.m., Brown said. Crews with the Monte Rio and Guerneville fire departments, as well as PG&E, cleared the site.

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