Man Falls Asleep, Crashes Into Laundry Room

A man who fell asleep at the wheel accidentally crashed his SUV through the wall of a Rohnert Park motel's laundry room Saturday night, according to the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety.

Public safety officers responded to the Good Nite Inn at 5040 Redwood Drive just before 10 p.m. and found that a 2000 BMW SUV had crashed through the motel's unoccupied laundry room, authorities said.

The SUV ran over a curb and through some bushes before finally striking the wall of building, where it remained wedged against the washers and dryers.

Because of a concern for the stability of the three-story building above and next to the laundry room, the occupants of those rooms were evacuated and relocated to another part of the motel, officials said.

Officers evaluated the 57-year-old driver, who was uninjured, and determined he was not intoxicated. He told officers that he dozed off as he was pulling into the parking space in front of the laundry room, causing him to press the gas pedal and crash into the building.

The city's building inspector arrived to assess the building's safety and determined no other motel rooms needed to be evacuated. The amount of damage is estimated to be about $10,000. No one was injured in the collision.

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