An intersection in Santa Rosa became the scene of a tragic three-vehicle collision last Friday, involving a white Honda, a silver Dodge pickup, and a white Prius, resulting in one fatality and another driver hospitalized with indications of alcohol impairment, the Santa Rosa Police Department reported. Authorities were dispatched to Lombardi Court and Sebastopol Road around 1:35 pm where a female driver, later identified as Jessica Avila Munoz, 31, of Santa Rosa, was extricated from her Honda by firefighters and rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries only to later be pronounced deceased.
Witnesses at the scene conveyed to officers that the Dodge pickup, driven by Nhan Van Nguyen, 68, appeared to have run a red light, striking the Honda as it was turning left onto eastbound Sebastopol Road, also impacting the Prius, which had been stationary—following the initial crash, investigators at the scene relied on local video surveillance and witness statements to piece together the events leading to the collision. After the collision, Munoz was soon pronounced dead at a local hospital, succumbing to their injuries as per the Santa Rosa Police Department’s official release.
Nguyen displayed signs of alcohol impairment, and a subsequent DUI investigation by the Santa Rosa PD Collision Investigator, who took charge at the scene, substantiated these observations. Having four prior DUI arrests, Nguyen was found to be under the influence at the time of the accident. In addition to possessing a suspended driver's license, the situation was exacerbated when it came to light that the driver of the Dodge had a history of alcohol-related driving offenses and a currently suspended license, which did nothing to deter this latest incident. Nguyen was arrested and booked on charges including Gross Vehicular Manslaughter and Felony DUI causing great bodily injury, as confirmed by the police department.
The area was cordoned off for around six hours to allow the Field and Evidence Technicians to collect evidence and document the scene effectively. As for Nguyen, he was treated for his injuries at a local hospital before being cleared as uninjured, then transported and booked into the Sonoma County Jail, with the charges leveraged against him being notably serious. In light of the ongoing investigation, the Santa Rosa Police Department urges anyone with relevant information to step forward and contact Officer Zepeda via email at [email protected] or by phone at 707-543-3600 ext. 5876.
