BRENTWOOD — A dozing driver drifted into oncoming traffic this morning and struck two vehicles — including one head-on — but all of the motorists escaped serious injury, the California Highway Patrol said.
An 18-year-old Pleasant Hill man told the CHP that he was eastbound on Balfour Road east of Deer Valley Road about 8:45 a.m. when he fell asleep behind the wheel of his Toyota Camry, said Officer Tom Maguire.
The Camry drifted into the westbound lane and sideswiped a Toyota Tundra, causing the pickup to go off the south side of the road and roll over, Maguire said. The Camry continued traveling against oncoming traffic and crashed head-on into a Toyota Tacoma truck.
Both the Camry driver and Tacoma driver, a Brentwood man, were airlifted to John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek with complaints of pain, but their injuries were minor, Maguire said. The driver of the Tundra that overturned, also a Brentwood man, was not injured.
All of the drivers were wearing seat belts. It was not immediately known whether the Camry driver would be cited or prosecuted.
Maguire said the crash should give caution to motorists who take to the road without proper rest.
“Driving drowsy is akin to driving under the influence,” he said. “You can still be at fault for a crash. It’s not an excuse.”
