The suspect was taken to the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose Sunday night for injuries listed as minor that were sustained in a crash on Highway 101 just north of the Great America Parkway in Santa Clara, CHP Officer Ralph Caggiano said.
It was at the hospital that a blood technician was called in to test the suspect's blood-alcohol content and the arrest was made, Caggiano said. The suspect's identity and city of residence were not immediately known.
The collision occurred just before 10:15 p.m. on Sunday, when a four-door Toyota Tundra pickup truck seemingly driven by the suspect crashed into the center divider and flipped over, coming to rest in the two fastest northbound lanes, Caggiano said.
It is unclear which direction the Toyota was heading when the crash took place, he said. A second car, possibly a Ford Taurus, also became involved in the collision either as a result of the disabled Toyota or the abundance of concrete debris knocked from the center divider by the impact, Caggiano said.
The collision between the Toyota and the median left large chunks of concrete for up to 100 feet in the center divider and southbound lanes, Caggiano said.
Even though all four southbound lanes had concrete in them, they were only blocked for a few minutes before being reopened, Caggiano said.
The northbound lanes, however, were blocked by the Toyota, responding CHP officers, and equipment for about an hour, he said. The blockage of the two left-most northbound lanes caused a Sig-alert to be issued at 10:35 p.m., Caggiano said.
That initial Sig-alert was only expected to last until 11:20 p.m., but at 11:32 p.m. the alert was updated to indicate that all four northbound lanes were blocked, Caggiano said.
He said the increased blockage was probably to make way for crews clearing the concrete debris. All lanes in both directions were deemed clear at 11:40 p.m. and the alert was lifted, he said.
The person who was arrested on suspicion of intoxicated driving does not seem to have been booked into any county jails, Caggiano said, indicating the person was released to the hospital.
The suspect's condition was not known as of 4 a.m. today, but the fact that the person was released to the hospital instead of being taken into custody indicated that the injuries required at least overnight treatment, Caggiano said.
