1/18/10

Driver shoots out window to survive accident

Eric Laughlin

The Press Tribune

A Roseville man used quick thinking to survive a Sunday morning accident that left his car submerged in an Industrial Avenue creek.

The unidentified 28-year-old man, an armed security guard employed by Thunder Valley Casino, was able to use his handgun to shoot a hole in one of the car's windows as the vehicle sank into Pleasant Grove Creek on Industrial Avenue in Roseville near the Santucci Justice Center.

The man was able to crawl through the broken window and to make it back up to the roadway, where he flagged down a passing motorist.

The driver told investigators that he struck the guardrail and went into the creek after his Blue Tooth phone device startled him while driving. There were no signs of drugs or alcohol, according to Roseville Police Lt. Michael Allison. The incident took place at approximately 9 a.m. Sunday.

Industrial Avenue had to be closed for a few hours while officials pulled the 2005 Ford Focus station wagon out of the creek.