Driver Crashes After Falling Asleep

A Ventura woman driving herself home from a doctor’s appointment Friday afternoon fell asleep after taking arthritis medication and crashed her car into a thicket of trees and brush, authorities said.

Ann S. Roina, 59, was taken by ambulance to Ventura County Medical Center, where she was treated for high blood pressure and released, Ventura County Fire Department Capt. Kerry Ellison said.

“She was reluctant to go, but considering she had fallen asleep, we thought it was a good idea,” Ellison said.

Roina was driving south on California 33 about 2 p.m. when she fell asleep near the Shell Road exit just north of Ventura, Ellison said. Her car traveled about 100 feet off the road before coming to rest between trees, he said.

Firefighters used a chain saw to remove several branches that blocked the doors, Ellison said. Because of her arthritis, firefighters had to place Roina onto a backboard to remove her from the car.