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Car pulled from Gotham Bay

by KEITH COUSINS/kcousins@cdapress.com
| July 26, 2014 9:00 PM

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<p>Crews on a fire boat with the East Side Fire District tows a vehicle, supported with floats, that went into Lake Coeur d’Alene Thursday night in Gotham Bay.</p>

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<p>Tim McCall, a diver with Tom’s Diving Adventures, steers a Chevy sedan toward the shore as crews pull the vehicle out of Lake Coeur d’Alene Friday at Gotham Bay.</p>

GOTHAM BAY - A 26-year-old man drove his car into Lake Coeur d'Alene late Thursday night.

Douglas Williams, 26, of Scottsdale, Ariz., was traveling southbound on State Highway 97 near Gotham Bay Road when the incident occurred, an Idaho State Police press release states. At 11:14 p.m., the 2014 Chevy Cruze left the roadway and entered the water.

Idaho State Police Sgt. Kevin White told The Press Friday that Williams' vehicle traveled at least 40 feet off-road before entering the water.

After the crash, Williams was able to get out of the vehicle and swam to the nearest dock. The press release states the man was wearing his seat belt at the time of the crash.

He was taken to Kootenai Health, where he was treated and released.

Friday morning, a diver and Merwin's Towing assisted emergency agencies in removing the vehicle from Gotham Bay.

"Anytime we have a water recovery, it's much more hazardous than a normal recovery, especially at night," White said. "We made the call Thursday night to wait until the morning."

Drugs or alcohol did not play a role in the accident, he said.