Coroner Identifies Sebastopol Man Killed In Highway 12 Crash

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — The Sonoma County Sheriff-Coroner's Office identified a Sebastopol man who died Monday morning in one of two separate fatal crashes on state Highway 12 in Sonoma County as 32-year-old George A. Palma.

Palma was the driver of a Toyota Matrix involved in a four-vehicle crash reported at 8:23 a.m. west of Santa Rosa near Merced Avenue, according to the California Highway Patrol.

A preliminary investigation indicated he was driving eastbound on SR-12 when he lost control of his car and swerved to the left into the opposite lane of traffic where he struck the left side of a westbound Ford Transit van, CHP Officer David deRutte said.

The Ford van continued traveling westbound and hit an Acura RDX that had been traveling behind the Toyota.

Simultaneously, the Toyota continued eastbound in the westbound lane where it collided head-on with a westbound Chevrolet box truck, causing the box truck to overturn onto its roof, deRutte said.

Palma was pronounced dead at the scene; his name was released Tuesday by coroner's officials who first had to properly notify his family members.

The driver of the box truck, a 24-year-old Santa Rosa man, suffered major but not life-threatening injuries and was taken to a hospital.

The driver of the Ford van, a 26-year-old Santa Rosa man, was taken also to a hospital for treatment of moderate injuries suffered in the crash.

The Acura driver, a 20-year-old Sebastopol woman, suffered minor injuries that did not require immediate hospitalization, deRutte said.

The fatal crash blocked Highway 12 in both directions between Llano Road and Merced Avenue for more than hours.

In a separate crash reported just minutes prior, a Sonoma woman and her mother both died in a crash on Highway 12 east of Santa Rosa near Oakmont Drive.

The CHP asked anyone with information regarding either crash to call the Santa Rosa CHP Office at 707-588-1400.