UPDATE: Woman drives car into Hudson Bayou

City of Sarasota crews will replace a 12-inch water line that was damaged when a woman drove her car into Hudson Bayou Tuesday, Dec. 3, according to a city news release.

The new pipeline, which city staff expect to cost between $75,000 and $100,000, will be buried under the stretch of waterway west of Sarasota High School.

Staff don't expect repairs to affect water usage, but the city has notified nearby businesses and residents that a temporary shutoff may occur.

Earlier: Sarasota Police have closed one southbound lane of traffic on Tamiami Trail near Sarasota High School after a woman drove her car into Hudson Bayou before 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 3.

Drivers behind the woman said she began driving erratically before her beige Infinity sedan plunged through trees and brush and became stuck at the bank of Hudson Bayou, according to Sarasota Police Partership Policing Communications Coordinator Genevieve Judge. Emergency personnel transported the woman to Sarasota Memorial Hospital with unspecified injuries.

City of Sarasota utilities crews were at the scene assessing possible damages to utility lines under a bridge near the site of the accident. The driver could possibly be charged with reckless driving, but police are still investigating the incident.

A tow truck lifted the vehicle out of the waterway and traffic resumed flowing after 2 p.m., according to a Sarasota Police news release.