Suspected Drunk Driver Injured After Hitting Tree In El Verano

A man was arrested on suspicion of DUI after he suffered major injuries when his vehicle struck a tree Tuesday evening in the El Verano area northwest of Sonoma, a California Highway Patrol officer said.

Charles Purdon, 50, of Sonoma, was driving a 2011 Jeep Cherokee at 45 mph north on Carriger Road north of Craig Avenue at 7:10 p.m., CHP Officer Jaret Paulson said.

Purdon overcorrected his steering when the Jeep went onto the west shoulder and traveled back onto the roadway, then back onto the west shoulder where the vehicle struck a tree, Paulson said.

Sonoma Valley firefighters extricated Purdon from the Jeep and he was flown by a CHP helicopter to Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa, where he was arrested Tuesday night on suspicion of DUI, Paulson said.

A witness to the crash said Purdon was driving erratically and weaving before the crash. Purdon was not wearing a seat belt and he suffered major, life-threatening injuries, Paulson said. The crash closed Carriger Road for two hours.

--BAy City News

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