Vehicle loses control on Pacific Coast Highway, drives into waters near Bolsa Chica Conservancy

Huntington Beach police’s rapid deployment unit was called to the wetlands near the Bolsa Chica Conservancy early Thursday, where a vehicle was submerged under water after driving off Pacific Coast Highway, officials reported.

The crash happened shortly before 6 a.m., when a vehicle traveling northbound on the highway, just south of Warner Avenue, lost control and careened into the wetlands, Huntington Beach police spokeswoman Jessica Cuchilla said.

The driver, an unnamed man, was able to exit the vehicle as a marine safety specialist equipped with SCUBA gear conducted an underwater clearance to ensure no additional occupants were trapped inside the vehicle.

It was determined the driver was the sole occupant of the vehicle. He sustained no injuries from the crash, and impairment does not appear to have been a factor in the incident, Cuchilla said Thursday.

The vehicle, the make and model of which were not immediately reported by responding officers working the night shift, was successfully removed from the waters.

The 1,445-acre Bolsa Chica Ecological Preserve, one of the largest and last remaining coastal wetlands in California, is home to more than 1,000 documented species of wildlife and is stewarded by the nonprofit conservancy, which offers classes, exhibits, displays and tours in the Interpretive Center located near the scene of Thursday’s incident.