A woman was in a coma at the hospital Wednesday after her car veered off a bridge and into a section of Buffalo Bayou in downtown Houston, police said.
The Buick sedan crashed through the guard rail about 4 p.m. along Milam and Commerce then plunged into the dark, frigid water about 30 feet below.
"The witnesses said she drove straight when the road curved and went over into the bayou," said Sgt. John Ogden with the Houston police vehicle crimes division.
Nani Simonton, who works at a nearby Spaghetti Warehouse restaurant, saw the woman speeding down the normally congested section of Commerce just before the crash.
"I thought it was really odd that somebody was driving that fast," Simonton said.
Two Houston police officers working a part-time security job near the scene pulled the woman from the water and began administering first aid, including CPR.
A loud crash
Percy Lyons was just trying to stay warm when he heard a loud crash and saw the Buick going through the metal guard rail. He wanted to help but was on the other side of the bayou.
"There was nothing I could do. I was over here," Lyons said. "But, other people saw it and they came to her rescue."
Rescue crews were still checking the bayou later Wednesday to see if other people were in the car at the time.
"We're going to try to get more information from the driver if she's able to speak to us at the hospital," Ogden said.
Houston police said they couldn't find the woman's identity and didn't know why she suddenly drove off the bridge and into the bayou. But, there was nothing to indicate intoxication might have played a part, HPD officers at the scene said.
Copyright 2011 - Houston Chronicle
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
