A driver with a blood alcohol level three times more than the legal limit drove a red convertible off a Solano County highway and ended up in the water, the California Highway Patrol said.
The driver, who was not identified by CHP, had a reported BAC of 0.25%, well above the 0.08% legal limit, the agency’s Solano office said in a social media post.
Photos shared by CHP showed the car partially submerged in a marshy area at night as rescuers placed a ladder from the bank to the vehicle. Another photo showed a person in a green-hooded sweatshirt being detained along the roadside.
The crash happened as the driver was traveling west on Highway 37, CHP said.
The driver told officers he swerved to avoid an animal, according to the agency. CHP said a witness reported seeing no animal in the roadway and saw the driver apparently asleep after the car came to rest in the water.
The Vallejo Fire Department rescued the driver, CHP said. No one else was injured.
CHP did not say exactly when the crash happened.
Under California law, it is illegal for most drivers to operate a vehicle with a BAC of 0.08% or higher. A BAC of 0.15% or higher can be considered an aggravating factor if a person is convicted of DUI.
The crash occurred on a highway that cuts through low-lying marshland between the North Bay and Solano County, where vehicles leaving the roadway can quickly end up in water or wetlands.