Suspected DUI crash on west county road traps two

A Santa Rosa woman suspected of drunken driving was arrested Tuesday night after she crashed on a west county road, injuring herself and a woman in her care, authorities said.

About 8:20 p.m., the driver’s silver Toyota Prius ran off Occidental Road near Mill Station Road, hit an embankment and landed on one side, according to the CHP. Officers arrested driver Kathleen Janet Tiedeman, 70, suspecting her of felony DUI causing an injury.

Tiedeman was caretaker for her passenger, who was in the back seat, CHP Officer David deRutte said. The woman suffered major injuries, he said.

Several people stopped to check on Tiedeman and her passenger and phoned for help. They feared the car was about to topple onto its roof, so when firefighters arrived they found about a half dozen people holding onto the Prius to keep it in place, Graton Fire Chief Bill Bullard said Wednesday.

Firefighters stabilized the car and then removed the windshield to get to the driver. The passenger was freed after firefighters cut away the roof, Bullard said.

Both women were taken by ambulance to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.

Information on the passenger wasn’t available Wednesday.

You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 707-521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com.