LAKE COUNTY ? Clearlake resident Joseph Lawson and his two passengers are recovering from minor injuries after his vehicle rolled down a 150-foot embankment Monday night.
Sandy Lawson said her husband and his two friends were coming back home from an off-roading trip when Lawson”s 1989 GMC Jimmy blew a tire. A California Highway Patrol (CHP) report said he was on Fire Road, a dirt road east of Davis Street near the Lake County Landfill at approximately 10:30 a.m. The area is known for its nearly sheer drop-offs.
“I don”t know why the tire blew,” said Sandy Lawson in a Friday phone conversation with the Record-Bee. “All three of them heard the tire blow and down they went.”
The Lawson”s Jimmy rolled several times and came to rest on its roof 150 feet from the road, according to Sandy Lawson and the CHP report.
Joseph Lawson was booked and released at the Lake County Jail for suspicion of a felony DUI. CHP officer Adam Garcia explained that the level was raised to that of a felony because injuries were caused. Lawson and his two passengers suffered minor injuries.
“Everyone”s okay,” said Sandy Lawson. She added that the three friends will be enjoying a barbecue at the Lawson”s” Clearlake home this weekend.
She noted that had it not been for one of the passengers hiking uphill for help, “the EMTs would”ve never found them out there.”
The Jimmy reportedly sustained only body damage.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com.
