Dangling driver charged with DUI

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BEAVERTON, Ore., Nov. 25 (UPI) -- An Oregon driver who spent an hour dangling from a highway overpass in his pickup truck is now facing drunken driving charge, authorities say.

Beaverton police said Matthew Alan Hamilton, 38, of Beaverton had a blood-alcohol level of 0.50 -- more than six times the legal limit -- when he was tested following his Saturday afternoon mishap on a Highway 217 overpass, The Oregonian reported.

He was being treated at a hospital for injuries suffered in the crash, but will be heading to the Washington County jail once he's healthy enough, the newspaper said.

Hamilton is charged with driving under the influence of intoxicants and driving with a suspended license. He has a previous DUI charge.

It wasn't clear how he ended up in such a predicament, but crews had to use a crane to remove Hamilton's truck from its precarious perch -- only its wheels caught in a guardrail had kept it from plummeting to the ground, The Oregonian said.

The crash tied up traffic in both directions for hours.