Police: Pedestrian struck, killed on Stony Point Road at fault

A 53-year-old man struck and killed last month while crossing Stony Point Road was at fault, Santa Rosa police said.

Richard Anthony Burns didn’t have the right of way when he headed east across the thoroughfare south of the Barndance Lane intersection about ?7 a.m. March 20, Sgt. Summer Gloeckner said. It was dark and raining and cars were approaching, making it unsafe for him to try to cross, she said.

Burns almost had made it to the other side when he was hit by a sedan. The impact knocked him into a nearby mailbox. He died at the crash site.

The driver, Esteban Garcia Martinez, 18, of Santa Rosa, had just dropped his mother off at work and told officers he hadn’t seen the man in time. He was “very distraught and upset after the collision,” Gloeckner said.

Several drivers called for help. Some reported to dispatchers it had been difficult to see the pedestrian in the dark and wet conditions.

Drivers need to watch for pedestrians, who have the right of way at an intersection, whether there’s a crosswalk or not, Gloeckner said. However, she said, pedestrians also need to make sure it’s safe to cross and watch for the speed of approaching vehicles.