Man Who Had Heart Attack After Highway 101 Crash Dies in Hospital

By Bay City News

Cecil Harry, the elderly man who suffered a heart attack after a four-vehicle crash on U.S. Highway 101 in Rohnert Park Wednesday evening, died Thursday at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, a California Highway Patrol officer said late Thursday afternoon.

"This is being investigated as a fatality from the assumption that the force of the collision caused the cardiac arrest," CHP Officer Jon Sloat said.

Harry, 70, of Rohnert Park, was driving a Dodge Ram truck in the right lane of northbound Highway 101 north of Rohnert Park Expressway around 5:30 p.m. when he slowed for traffic, CHP Officer Jon Sloat said. 

Pedro Montef, 44, of Santa Rosa, was driving a Chevrolet Silverado at 55 mph in the lane behind the Dodge truck and did not notice the slowing traffic, Sloat said. The Silverado then crashed into the rear of the Dodge truck. 

Harry's Dodge truck was propelled forward and landed on top of a Chevrolet S-10 pickup driven by Brian Cooper, 33, of Santa Rosa, Sloat said. A fourth vehicle in an adjacent lane sustained slight damage.

Harry appeared to be in medical distress when he was contacted in the vehicle, Sloat said. He was removed from the vehicle and taken to Memorial Hospital for a cardiac emergency. 

Montef and Cooper were treated for minor injuries at Memorial Hospital and released, Sloat said.

The crash closed all lanes of northbound Highway 101 for 30 minutes while traffic passed on the right shoulder. The lanes reopened at 6:43 p.m., Sloat said.

It was initially believed Montef was driving the Silverado in the carpool lane and made an abrupt turn into the right lane, but witnesses said he was in the lane behind the Dodge truck, Sloat said.

"Impairment does not appear to be a factor in the collision," Sloat said.

Copyright © 2013 by Bay City News, Inc. -- Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.

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