NORTH FORK – An Ahwahnee man was arrested for Driving Under the Influence after walking away from a crash on Road 222 last night.
Joseph Smyth ran his 1997 Chevy pickup into the embankment on Road 222 near Manzanita Lake Road just after 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Mar. 12.
After crashing into the bank and flipping over onto the passenger side, the truck came to rest in the southbound lane on a blind curve.
Two passers-by stopped to see if Smyth was okay, and to keep other motorists from running into the wrecked vehicle. But as they stood ready to assist, Smyth kicked out the windshield and crawled out, and he and his dog headed off down the road toward North Fork, leaving the smashed up truck sitting in the road.
After walking the mile-and-a-half into town, Smyth stopped in at the Gas ‘n Stuff where he casually shared his tale with the clerks, then continued on down the main street, poking his head into the Dance Club for a moment before continuing his stroll.
A witness contacted the CHP, who had responded to the location of the crash, and directed them to Smyth’s wherabouts, at which point he was taken into custody for DUI and booked into the Madera County Jail.
Smyth suffered a few minor cuts in his efforts to bust out the windshield, but was otherwise uninjured. It is not clear what became of the dog.
