LAFAYETTE (BCN) — A UPS delivery driver who walked away after running his van off the road and into some trees Wednesday is not being investigated by police for any crime, according to Lafayette police Chief Eric Christensen.
At about 5 p.m. Wednesday, police received a call that the van had run off Hunsaker Canyon Road.
Officers eventually found the vehicle, which had careened down the side of a steep hill and ended up running into some trees.
The driver, however, was nowhere to be found.
“Our main concern is to make sure this guy was OK,” Christensen said.
After a full-scale search and rescue effort — which lasted 6 hours and included 40 people, a helicopter, dogs and a drone — officers received a call from the UPS driver’s wife saying he was safe and sound, Christensen said.
After the crash, the man had somehow made his way to a residence in Concord and called his wife to let her know he was fine.
Christensen said it’s not unusual for people to walk away from a collision after becoming disoriented or afraid.
It’s also not unusual for people who know the police are searching for them to ask a friend or family member to get in touch with officers on their behalf, Christensen said.
Since the collision only involved the driver’s vehicle and some trees on private property, and since drugs or alcohol aren’t suspected to have played a role, there was no crime committed, according to Christensen.
The UPS van, which seemingly went over the side of the road at a relatively slow speed, was pulled back up the hill by a tow truck and another UPS employee was able to drive it away without any trouble.