Crashes claim 3 lives on Hwy 12 in Santa Rosa

SANTA ROSA, Calif. - It was a deadly morning on Highway 12 in Santa Rosa on Monday, with two crashes claiming three lives during the wet weather.

The first happened at about 8:20 a.m. when a black Nissan Sentra heading west crashed into an oncoming white work truck near Oakmont Drive, said California Highway Patrol Officer David deRutte.

Two people in the Nissan died.

"The terrible part, it was actually a mom and daughter,"  deRutte said. "The daughter was driving. She was 21 years old. And the mother was 44."

The CHP says the daughter lost control of the Nissan.

The second crash happened just several minutes later on the same highway near Merced Avenue.

A 32-year-old Sebastopol man was heading east in a Toyota Matrix.

"Witnesses actually saw him swerving a bit, having a hard time maintaining his lane prior to the crash," deRutte said.

He lost control and hit an oncoming transit van. The van then hit an Acura. The man's Toyota, meanwhile, crashed into a box van.

"The box van actually overturned onto its roof," deRutte said.

The man in the Toyota died.

The cause of the crashes is under investigation, but the CHP says the rain may have been a factor.

"Sometimes the safe speed is well below the speed limit and even if you're thinking you're driving the speed limit, it might not be safe."