Wheaton man’s condition serious after driving into Warrenville pond

A 31-year-old Wheaton man was in serious condition Friday after driving his car off I-88 and into a water retention pond in Warrenville, authorities said.

The man was slumped over the wheel and unresponsive when Warrenville police arrived at the scene about 11 a.m., shortly after the car ran off the tollway and into the pond, said Illinois State Police Trooper Michelle Kistulinec.

Three Warrenville police officers dove into the water and began attempting to remove the man from the submerged vehicle, according to state police. The Warrenville Fire Department then removed the driver from the car and transported him to Edward Hospital in Naperville.

The man’s Nissan Altima had been traveling in the left lane of westbound I-88 at 10:57 a.m. when it abruptly began veering right, across three other lanes of traffic and the shoulder, down an embankment, into a drainage ditch, through a fence, then into the pond, Kistulinec said.

Stewart Finley of Oswego drove past the scene on his way home for lunch. He said he saw emergency responders lower a boat into the water and divers put a strap around the vehicle to help extricate it from the pond.