A 28-year-old female motorist has been charged with drunk driving after police claimed she struck a bicycle rider with her car in the evening in Vienna, Virginia. Police claimed that she was not capable of performing a field sobriety test and appeared intoxicated. She reportedly declined to submit to a breathalyzer test and is currently facing additional criminal charges for that refusal.
Officers stated that the motorist drove for miles on a trail that is normally filled with bicyclists and walking pedestrians rather than motor vehicles. They also claimed that she was moving at a high speed for the trail and that when they stopped her car she appeared disoriented as well as intoxicated. The bicycle rider was a 65-year-old man who suffered injuries for which he is currently hospitalized. Medical personnel reported, however, that the injuries were not serious enough to threaten his life.
The trail, at the point she was driving on it, is reported to be paved and approximately ten feet across. Police stated that before the accident occurred they had received reports from five people that indicated that they had experienced a “close call” with the woman’s car. There used to be gates at grade crossings on the trail preventing motorists from entering, but they were removed.
Trail administrators said that it was the first time that they knew of that a car had hit someone on the trail. Drunk driving charges can lead to serious consequences including loss of driving privileges, fines, and incarceration. This makes it imperative that motorists accused of such offenses consult with an experienced criminal defense attorney at their earliest opportunity to explore every avenue of available defense.
Source: The Washington Post, “Driver accused of hitting bicyclist on W&OD Trail refused breath test, police say” Justin Jouvenal, Jun. 03, 2013
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