Susan Williams, 67, killed in multi-vehicle crash on Lakeville Highway in Petaluma, California

Initial information included that one vehicle rolled and at least two others became involved in the collision. Sonoma County’s emergency dispatchers began getting calls at 7:15 a.m.

Williams’ death was mourned across the globe Tuesday as news reached her students at UC Davis, fellow researchers at the Bodega Bay laboratory and associates in Indonesia where she traveled multiple times a year to teach and study coral reef and ocean health.

Susan Williams was a Bodega Bay marine biologist and professor whose scientific expertise was instrumental in a decadeslong effort to expand federal protections for North Coast marine ecosystems.