Driver Flies Through Guardrail, Survives

A suspected drunken driver going the wrong way on Palo Alto's Alma Street early Sunday morning launched through a guardrail, missing two large trees, and landed on University Avenue, where his SUV caught fire and was engulfed in flames.

The driver—an unidentified 32-year-old Mountain View man—was taken to Stanford Hospital with moderate injuries. There were no passengers in the sport utility vehicle.

A Palo Alto police officer had noticed the speeding driver near the Oregon Expressway at 2:54 a.m. Sunday, according to the police report. The officer narrowly avoided a collision before turning around and pursuing the car. He lost sight of the car between Churchill Avenue and the Embarcadero Road. The car then flew through a guardrail near Hamilton Avenue after winding through the Alma Street circle.

The SUV landed on its roof, and when officers arrived, they noticed it was on fire. Police officers were unable to extinguish the flames with their fire extinguishers, and when Palo Alto firefighters arrived, they worked on the persistent fire with water and foam for several minutes before they were able to put it out.

The driver was still strapped in his seat when he was rescued.

Both directions of Alma Street between Hamilton and Lytton avenues was closed to traffic for several hours and re-opened at 6:30 a.m. Sunday. University Avenue remained closed from the circle at MacArthur Park to High Street until 9:45 a.m.

No charges have been filed. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the police at 650-329-2413.