STORY

CHP investigators are trying to figure out what prompted a driver to follow a couple in another car, lead officers on a 95-mph chase down Highway 101 and make a fatal turn off the freeway near Corte Madera.

About 9 a.m. Monday a couple heading south on Highway 101 in a Mercedes called 911 to report that an unusually aggressive tailgater had been following them from westbound Highway 12 in Santa Rosa and onto the freeway headed south.

Two CHP cars responded and observed a white Chevrolet Blazer tailgating the Mercedes. When officers tried to pull the driver over near the Highway 116 exit in Rohnert Park, the driver fled down the highway in the Blazer.

Marin CHP officers picked up the chase as the driver continued past Novato and later San Rafael, reaching speeds up to 95 mph.

When the Blazer passed the Paradise Drive exit in Corte Madera it swerved from the left lane, across traffic and onto a bank on the right side of the road, CHP Officer Mary Ziegenbein said .

"He made a sharp right turn, traveled across all the lanes, and ended up on the side of the freeway," she said. "He went up a dirt hill and hit a tree with enough force to knock it over and drag it 20 feet."

The 44-year-old driver received fatal injuries and died on the scene. Officers were attempting to notify family members before releasing the driver's identity.

"We don't know if it was a suicide attempt or if he lost control and crashed because there was no reason to make a sharp turn there," Ziegenbein said.

"We're not sure if this was drug-related or if he had mental issues," Sgt. Meg Planka said. "We don't know if anything occurred that made him focus in on (the couple). It's going to take some investigative work to find out."

Planka said the couple who reported the dangerous tailgating said they did not know the man who followed them down Highway 101, but his behavior made them suspicious.

"They did the right thing. We were able to get out there and get him away from them," Planka said. The CHP would not release the names of the couple.

Ziegenbein said the CHP receives many reports of reckless driving and tailgating.

"We can't handle every minor infraction through a 911 call, but he continued to follow them and was putting them in danger," Planka said. "So it was a good call."