A driver died and two adult male passengers suffered major injuries early Monday after a Mercedes lost control at high speed on westbound Highway 116 near Redwood Drive, left the roadway, struck a rock and a tree, and burst into flames. Firefighters extinguished the blaze, but the driver was found dead inside the vehicle. The passengers managed to escape and were rushed to a hospital.
The crash was reported around 12:17 a.m. near Redwood Drive, west of Guerneville, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Investigators determined the Mercedes was traveling west at a high speed when the driver lost control, though the exact speed has not been determined, according to Patch. The vehicle struck a rock and a tree, sustained major damage, and then caught fire, the outlet reported.
Passengers Escaped Before Flames Engulfed the Car
The two adult male passengers suffered major injuries but managed to get out of the Mercedes before it was consumed by fire, per the same account. They were transported to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital for treatment. The driver, whose identity has not been released, was found deceased inside the vehicle after crews put out the flames, according to KRON4.
The California Highway Patrol said the cause of the crash remains under investigation, including whether alcohol was a contributing factor. As of Monday afternoon, no further details on what caused the driver to lose control had been released.
A Stretch of Road With a History of Deadly Wrecks
The Highway 116 and Guerneville Road corridor has seen other fatal crashes in recent years. In 2021, a driver was killed in a solo crash along Highway 116 in Sonoma County late on a Sunday night, according to CBS News. That crash involved a Volvo wagon that a passerby spotted off the roadway at Guerneville Road west of Santa Rosa; a preliminary investigation found the vehicle went through a stop sign, crossed the highway, and struck an embankment and a tree, with authorities noting it appeared the driver was not wearing a seat belt.
In 2024, a woman was killed and another was injured in an early-morning head-on collision near Highway 116 west of Santa Rosa, the Press Democrat reported. That crash happened just before 5:40 a.m. on Guerneville Road near Laguna Road when a BMW crossed into the westbound lane and struck an oncoming Toyota. The woman who was hit was pronounced dead at the scene.
No additional information about what led to Monday's crash has been made public, and the identities of those involved had not been released as of Monday afternoon.
