Marin Man Injured When Boulders Fall Onto Hwy. 101 Friday

By Bay City News Service

A Ross man suffered minor injuries when boulders fell from a hillside onto southbound U.S. Highway 101 near Sausalito this morning, a California Highway Patrol officer said.

Mark Dumolien, 42, was treated at Marin General Hospital for his injuries, CHP Officer Andrew Barclay said.

Dumolien's 2010 Mercedes sustained major damage when it struck one of the boulders around 4:50 a.m., Barclay said.

Two other cars were also struck by the boulders, one that sustained a flat tire and another that sustained minor under-carriage damage, Barclay said.

No one else was injured in the incident.

The boulders fell through a concrete K-rail and raised fence onto the highway north of Alexander Avenue.

A Caltrans crew and Ghilotti Brothers, Inc. construction workers were on the northbound side of the highway when the incident happened and they immediately shut down the two right southbound lanes, Barclay said.

Some of the smaller rocks were carried by hand off the roadway and a Caltrans sweeper removed the rest of the debris. The largest boulder was about 3 feet in diameter, according to Barclay.

All lanes of the highway reopened at about 6:45 a.m., Barclay said.

Caltrans was assessing the stability of the hillside this morning, he said.

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