(Lake County, IN) - An impaired driver impaled her vehicle on a gate arm and is lucky to be alive. The accident happened Christmas Eve on I-65 south of Merrillville.

For unknown reasons, a 2015 Rav4 left the roadway, exiting into the weigh station area at a high rate of speed. The car struck a tubular steel gate arm head-on. The gate impaled the vehicle, entering through the engine compartment and piercing all through the rear hatch. Luckily, the driver, 33-year-old Rebeca Claus of Shelby, Indiana, was not hurt.

Police found Claus walking around her impaled sleigh. She refused a sobriety test both at the scene and at a local hospital. Suspecting Claus to be intoxicated, they took her into custody and charged her accordingly.