Petaluma man, 19, killed in Marin County crash

A Petaluma man was killed Tuesday morning in a head-on crash in west Marin County, authorities said.

Carlos Enrique Verdugo-Cruz, 19, was headed south in a Honda Civic and rounding a curve on Nicasio Valley Road when the vehicle crossed into the opposing lane just before 8:10 a.m. His vehicle struck a northbound Ford Expedition near Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, the Marin County Sheriff’s Office said in a Wednesday news release.

Both vehicles, which had significant damage, stopped in the road.

First responders found Verdugo-Cruz unconscious. He was pronounced dead at 8:23 a.m.

The driver of the Expedition was removed from the vehicle and taken to a hospital. Their status as of Wednesday morning was not shared.

Reporting parties told investigators that before the crash, the Civic was speeding and driven in a “careless” manner, the agency said.

An autopsy is scheduled for later this week. Verdugo-Cruz’s cause and manner of death will be determined after the California Highway Patrol-Marin and the Sheriff’s Office conclude their investigations.

A GoFundMe fundraiser was organized to make a memorial for Verdugo-Cruz. As of Thursday afternoon, it had raised just over $9,000.

You can reach Staff Writer Madison Smalstig at madison.smalstig@pressdemocrat.com. On X (Twitter) @madi.smals.