Bicyclist on Petaluma Hill Road dies after being struck by two cars

A bicyclist was killed early Tuesday after he was run over twice while riding on Petaluma Hill Road near Santa Rosa, authorities said.

The Sonoma County Coroner’s Office identified the man as Joseph Converse, 39, of Santa Rosa.

He was riding in the southbound lane around 12:15 a.m. when he was struck by a 2009 Ford Focus south of Yolanda Avenue, CHP spokesman David deRutte said. The impact launched the bicyclist into the air, he said.

“After the collision, the car kept going,” deRutte said. “By the time he landed, the car had already gone through.”

Converse’s family declined to comment Tuesday evening.

Investigators suspect Converse was traveling in the traffic lane and not the designated bike lane when he was hit by the southbound Ford, driven by Christian Larios Flores, 28, of Santa Rosa, deRutte said. The road was dark, and the bicyclist was wearing dark-colored clothing, deRutte said.

Converse landed in the southbound lane, where he then was struck by a second car, a 2017 Subaru Legacy driven by Chloe Sannikov, 28, of Rohnert Park, CHP said.

Both Sannikov and Larios Flores remained at the crash site and cooperated with officers. Neither is suspected of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the crash, CHP said.

The crash remains under investigation.

Staff Writer Andrew Beale contributed to this story. You can reach Staff Writer Nashelly Chavez at 707-521-5203 or nashelly.chavez@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter ?@nashellytweets.