Full Notification

On Sunday, May 05, 2019, at 2:54pm the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety received reports of a rollover collision at the Rohnert Park Costco located on Redwood Dr. at Martin Ave.  The first arriving Public Safety Officer found a Dodge truck with major front end damage and a Mercury SUV that was on its roof in the entrance to the Costco parking lot off of Martin Ave.  The SUV was in the landscaping along the driveway and the driver was still seat belted in her seat (see attached photo of vehicles).  Officers were able to assist the 57 year old driver of the SUV out of her seatbelt and safely remove her from the vehicle.  She only appeared to have minor injuries, however she was transported to a local hospital by ambulance for further evaluation.  The 50 year old driver of the truck and his passenger did not have any apparent injuries.
 
Through the investigation into the collision it was determined the driver of the Dodge truck was pulling up to a gas pump in the parking lot, facing towards the driveway entrance.  The driver said he mistook the gas pedal for the brake and accelerated quickly forward going up and over the raised landscaping between the gas station and the entrance, as the driver of the SUV was waiting in a line of cars to exit the parking lot.  The truck collided into the passenger side of the SUV pushing it across the driveway while rolling it onto its roof. The two vehicles narrowly missed other cars driving into the parking lot before coming to rest in the landscaping area on the other side.  There were numerous people at the gas pumps and in the parking lot at the time of the collision, and they ran to try to help the occupants of the two vehicles.
 
The entrance to Costco from Martin Ave, as well as the westbound lanes of Martin Ave, were blocked until the two vehicles could be removed and the driveway could be cleaned up.  However, the business itself and the gas pumps remained open throughout that time.  The driver of the Dodge truck was found to have an expired Colorado driver’s license, and did not have a California driver’s license.  Prosecution will be sought for him driving without a valid license.  
 
This collision and the outcome is a reminder to everyone to always pay attention when you are behind the wheel of a vehicle, and to always wear your seatbelt.  The driver of the SUV would have likely suffered far more serious injuries if she had not been wearing her seatbelt as she was driving out of the parking lot.