Palo Alto firefighters who rushed to the scene of a car crash on Thursday night had to extricate the driver who was allegedly intoxicated when the car struck a tree.

The incident, which took place on Thursday, Jan. 12, occurred in the 300 block of East Charleston Road in Palo Alto, Deputy Fire Chief Kevin McNally said.

Fire crews were dispatched at 10:46 p.m. with the first unit arriving to scene at about 10:51 p.m., McNally said. Crews found one person in the vehicle and began extrication efforts using life-saving tools.

"It took about 45 minutes and that patient was transported to Stanford," he said.

Palo Alto police Lt. Con Maloney said the car was an older model, full-size SUV. The vehicle was traveling east and first struck the center median. It then careened to the side of the road, struck a tree and came to rest in the front yard of a residence. The SUV was left with moderate damage and towed from the scene.

The metallic-colored car sustained considerable front-end damage and stopped just feet from striking the home's garage, according to a photo posted on Instagram by Palo Alto Firefighters Local 1319.

"Intoxication is a suspected contributor to the collision," Maloney said.

The driver, a 22-year-old woman from Palo Alto, was transported to the hospital and wasn't booked on-site. Police will be submitting a referral to the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office, he said.

Despite the heavy rains and winds that have impacted roadways in the past two weeks, Thursday's weather conditions at the time of the crash were clear and dry. The incident took place on a road with street lights and no unusual conditions, he said.