A Maryland resident was arrested by police following an out-of-state traffic accident that left a local man severely injured in an allegedly alcohol-related auto-pedestrian accident. According to a news article, local police took 38-year-old Pamela Currie into custody after an early morning pedestrian accident that apparently resulted in serious injury to a man was only crossing the street.
As a Maryland injury lawyer, I and my colleagues hear of these types of traffic collisions numerous times each month. In this case, the accident appears to involve alcohol, which indicates that the driver was impaired at the time of the crash. Local police said that the crash happened at about 1:00 in the morning on a Thursday in front of a city hall.
While this was thankfully not a fatal traffic accident, the victim was nonetheless left with multiple injuries and will need time to recover. Based on news accounts, an eye witness said that the 46-year-old man was thrown about seven feet onto the pavement. He reportedly landed on his left side, with one of his shoes being found another 15 feet from where he landed. Police accident investigators reportedly found skid marks at the scene that indicated the driver was probably speeding at the time of the impact.
The injured man had to wait nearly 15 minutes before an ambulance service was able to attend to him. He was apparently treated at the scene and then taken to a local hospital for further treatment and observation.
According to news reports, Currie was operating her Nissan Xterra south along Washington just before the serious accident. Police indicated that a male passenger was also riding in the SUV. According to local reports, if police can determine that the passenger was sober when the crash occurred, then he could be fined for letting Currie drive an automobile while drunk.
It was apparently clear to police that the driver was intoxicated, since police reports show that Currie appeared to be inebriated when she exited her vehicle to take a field sobriety test. Investigators were still looking into the crash at the time of the report, however the driver was reportedly charged with aggravated assault by auto and refusal to submit to chemical blood-alcohol (BAC) test. Her vehicle was towed to a local municipal garage.
Update: Pedestrian Struck; Driver Arrested For DWI, HobokenPatch.com, June 3, 2010