Petaluma Woman Killed in Crash Near Bodega Bay

The California Highway Patrol has identified a woman killed in a solo car accident in unincorporated Sonoma County Wednesday night as 42-year-old Leah Nicole Johnson.

Johnson, of Petaluma, was speeding on Bodega Highway in her Mercedes C320 when she failed to stop at a stop sign posted at the intersection of Bodega Highway and state Highway 1 around 8:20 p.m., the CHP said.

The CHP said the Mercedes collided head on with a dirt embankment, overturned and caught on fire.

Johnson's fiancé, who was following her home but did not see the collision, along with the help of another passerby, turned the Mercedes back on its wheels, according to the CHP.

Fire crews responded to the scene and extinguished the fire. Johnson, however, was pronounced dead at the scene.

It is unknown if Johnson was impaired at the time of the collision. The crash remains under investigation Thursday morning.

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