Authorities Identify Body Found In Car Off Hwy 1 In Sonoma County

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — The Sonoma County Sheriff-Coroner's Office has identified a man whose body was found in a car Wednesday off state Highway 1 in coastal Sonoma County.

Herbert Gorka, 78, of Carson City, Nevada, is believed to have died when his car went off the highway near mile marker 31.67 in Jenner, just south of Fort Ross Road, according to officials with the coroner's office and the California Highway Patrol.

A passerby saw an overturned car down an embankment and called authorities around 4 p.m. Wednesday to report a possible crash, CHP Officer David deRutte said.

CHP officers confirmed there was a Volkswagen Golf some 100 feet down the embankment.

First responders hiked down and found Gorka's body in the car.

Because the car was cold to the touch and it was difficult to see from the road, CHP was still working to determine when the crash happened.

"Preliminary investigation indicates the Volkswagen was traveling southbound on SR-1," deRutte said. "For unknown reasons, the vehicle left the roadway to the right/west. The Volkswagen traveled down an embankment and rolled onto its roof."

CHP asked anyone who witnessed the collision or any events leading up to it to call the Santa Rosa CHP Office at 707-588-1400.