Woman arrested after driving car into bay

James Meier

BALBOA PENINSULA -- Police arrested a woman Thursday evening after the

BMW she was driving along 20th Street crashed into a curb, launched

through the top of a brick wall and landed in the Newport Channel.

After the white BMW hit the water, it floated farther into the bay for

a few seconds until the woman and her 5-year-old daughter, who was also

in the car, opened a door, exited and began swimming, witnesses said.

Though neither seemed injured, both were taken to Hoag Hospital after

the 7:10 p.m. incident, Newport Beach Police Lt. John Klein said. The

woman, who police had not identified by press time, was arrested on

suspicion of drunk driving and child endangerment, Klein said.

“I saw the car hit [the 2-foot-high wall], the back went up and it

floated and then sank. It was crazy,” said Jeff Moore, 14, who saw the

crash while visiting a friend’s house. “I was going to see if they were

all right, but then the two guys jumped in.”

Troy Swisher and John Hammond, who live about 20 feet from the

incident, rushed toward the water seconds after hearing the car’s impact.

Both dove into the water to help the woman and girl swim to shore.

“The crash was pretty horrific,” said Hammond, who was watching a Los

Angeles Dodgers baseball game when the incident occurred. “I looked out

the window to see the car floating.”

Swisher, a longtime surfer, dove into the bay first and helped the

girl to shore. Hammond, a former lifeguard who is now a boat captain,

followed and helped the woman onto a nearby boat. By the time the two

entered the water, the woman and girl had exited the car, Swisher said.

At press time, emergency personnel were awaiting a barge that would

raise the car from the water with a crane.

Police said the girl would be taken to Orangewood Children’s Home, the

county’s children’s shelter, after she was released from the hospital.