COBB – An early Saturday morning collision resulted in a man being seriously injured and later arrested for driving under the influence.

The collision, which Lake County News reported on Saturday, took place at 1:35 a.m. that same day, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Adam Garcia.

Justin Rodella, 26, of Middletown was driving his 1997 Jeep Wrangler northbound on Highway 175 south of Wildcat Road when he struck a deer in the road and swerved to the right, according to Garcia.

Rodella's Jeep then went up an embankment, struck a tree and traveled left, going back into the roadway, Garcia said.

When the Jeep reentered the road Garcia said it was struck by a 1985 Dodge Ram SUV driven by Timothy Tillman, 30, of Cobb.

The collision caused the Jeep to roll over; Garcia said it came to rest on its right side in the southbound lane.

Garcia said Rodella sustained major non-life threatening injuries. He was flown by REACH helicopter to Sutter Lakeside Hospital, which later released him.

Rodella was subsequently arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, said Garcia.

Garcia said Officer Steve Tanguay is investigating the collision.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

{mos_sb_discuss:2}