A San Francisco firefighter died early Wednesday in a head-on collision near Santa Rosa, according to the SF Fire Department and Sonoma County Sheriff's Office.
The Sheriff's Office identified the driver killed as Steven William Pacatte, 34, of Monte Rio, and San Francisco fire officials confirmed he was a firefighter with Station 14.
Pacatte was driving a Chevrolet Silverado truck east on Occidental Road near Piezzi Road in heavy fog around 5:30 a.m. when he passed a garbage truck in front of him and collided with a westbound Chevrolet Suburban driven by a female, CHP Officer David deRutte said.
The passing attempt was over broken yellow lines, which is legal, but it occurred in an unsafe area, deRutte said.
Both Chevrolet drivers were taken to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, where Pacatte was pronounced dead. The female driver suffered critical injuries, deRutte said.
SF fire officials said Pacatte was on his way to work when the crash occurred.
Local
Fire officials said Pacatte was hired in 2016 and worked at stations 3, 48 and 14. Pacatte had recently been deployed to wildfires including the Camp Fire. He previously worked for the Tiburon Fire Protection District.
Pacatte is survived by his expecting fiancee, mother, father and sisters.
Pacatte's body was taken from the coroner’s office in Santa Rosa to Duggan's Serra Mortuary in Daly City Wednesday evening.
