Truck Plunges Into Pond At Community Park, Sets Off Week-Long Rescue

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — A speeding truck tore through a local community park, slammed into three parked cars, and plunged into a pond, where a bystander rushed into the water and rescued the driver before the vehicle sank.

Santa Rosa police said Patricia Collinsworth, 64, of Sebastopol, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence following the April 19 crash at Place to Play Park on West Third Street in Santa Rosa.

Officers were dispatched about 4:57 p.m. after reports a truck was racing through the park. Investigators said the vehicle barreled off the roadway after striking three unoccupied cars and came to rest roughly 50 feet from shore in the pond.

Santa Rosa police said officers found the truck rapidly disappearing underwater as a rescuer brought Collinsworth safely to shore. Witnesses told police she was the only person inside.

Collinsworth was taken to a local hospital for treatment before being booked on suspicion of DUI, police said. No other injuries were reported.

Authorities said recovering the truck took days because murky water and weather conditions made it unsafe for divers to locate the submerged vehicle.

On Sunday, Santa Rosa police joined the Santa Rosa Fire Department Hazardous Materials Response Team and the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team in a coordinated recovery operation.

Divers found the truck in about 15 feet of water and brought it to the surface without incident. Crews deployed hydrophobic containment booms to absorb oil and gasoline during the recovery, protecting the park pond from contamination.