Driver Flees On Foot After Fatal Crash In Rural Area West Of Petaluma

PETALUMA (CBS SF) -- The California Highway Patrol is searching for the driver of a Chevy pickup truck who ran from the scene of a fatal crash early Saturday in rural Sonoma County.

The head-on collision happened around 4 a.m. Saturday on Bodega Avenue near King Road in a rural area west of Petaluma, the CHP said.

CHP investigators report that the 2007 pickup was headed eastbound on Bodega Avenue when it drifted off the south edge of the roadway, hitting two mailboxes.

The force of the impact caused the pickup to spin 180 degrees, cross back onto Bodega Avenue and hit a 1994 Mazda 323 that was headed west.

According to the CHP, the Mazda driver got trapped in his vehicle and died there, while the driver of the pickup truck fled on foot.

A search of the area did not locate the suspect and the CHP is asking anyone with information to call (707) 588-1412.

The victim was a 51-year-old Napa man. His identity is not being released until his next of kin have been notified, the CHP reported.