Upper Hudson Valley Man Falls Asleep At Wheel, Crashes Into Pond (Photos)

An upper Hudson Valley man fell asleep at the wheel and ended up driving into a pond.

On Tuesday around 6:40 a.m., deputies from the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office were sent by Columbia County 911 to a one vehicle accident on County Route 21B, just north of Shufelt Road in the Town of Ghent.

Responding police found a 2006 Ford Explorer sinking in a private pond. The driver, later identified as 38-year-old Robert A. Brooks Jr. of Ghent, was found sitting on top of his partially submerged vehicle, officials say.

Brooks was traveling southbound on County Route 21B when his SUV went off the east side of the roadway and entered the private pond. Brooks told police that he had fallen asleep behind the wheel.

Brooks was not injured in the accident and there were no passengers in the Explorer at the time of the accident.

The Ghent Fire Department and the Chatham Rescue Squad assisted at the scene.