Drunk Driver Fresh from Prison Flips Car in Wild Midnight Chase Through Medford Streets

MEDFORD, Ore. — An intoxicated driver on transitional leave from prison crashed in a yard on Lone Pine Road in Medford, landing his car upside down, after attempting to elude Medford Police Officers late Thursday night.

An MPD officer observed a vehicle traveling in the continuous left-turn lane on Crater Lake Avenue at around midnight on Thursday.

The driver stopped at a green light, and after police noticed him failing to maintain his lane, they initiated a traffic stop at Crater Lake Avenue and Grand Avenue. There, they encountered a visibly intoxicated driver.

Midway through the conversation, the driver suddenly took off.

Officers followed the eastbound vehicle on East McAndrews Road to northbound Brookdale Avenue. After running a stop sign at Lone Pine Road, the vehicle crashed into landscaping boulders, causing it to flip and land upside down in a yard.

Four hours after the initial stop, the driver’s blood alcohol content (BAC) was .14%.

The driver was detained as he crawled out of the wreckage. There were no other occupants in the vehicle, and the driver, who had sustained only minor injuries, was transported to Providence Hospital for medical clearance and a court-ordered blood draw before being lodged in the Jackson County Jail on multiple charges.