UPPER LAKE, Calif. – A young woman and a toddler escaped injury Monday night when the vehicle in which they were riding went off the highway and down an embankment.
The crash occurred at around 7:15 p.m. Monday on Highway 29 between Highway 20 and Mockingbird Lane, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The driver told officials at the scene that she swerved to avoid a deer, which resulted in her two-door Pontiac Sunfire going off the roadway and 250 feet off the roadway, coming to rest about 35 feet below Highway 20.
The car didn't overturn and missed a tree before a fence post punctured its oil pan, officials reported.
Both airbags deployed and the 16-month-old child, riding in a safety seat in the rear of the car, was kept safe.
The woman and child were reportedly transported from the scene by a family member. Neither were hurt, the CHP reported.
One engine, a medic unit and Battalion Chief Ken Petz from Northshore Fire responded to the scene, along with the CHP.
Firefighters worked to salvage the driver's license, registration and other personal items before A1 Towing came to remove the vehicle from the scene.
Additional information about the driver and the child was not available late Monday.
Another crash that occurred about a half hour later near Middletown also involved a vehicle going off Highway 29, this time an SUV that rolled over while going into a ravine, the CHP reported.
The two people in the SUV were able to get out. The CHP reported they had minor injuries.
Gary McAuley contributed to this report.
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