Connecticut woman arrested after alleged drunk driving crash

A 38-year-old Connecticut woman, who allegedly crashed into several utility poles with her car, has been arrested on drunk driving charges. The incident occurred in West Hartford on a recent Saturday evening, a little before 10 p.m. According to police, after the woman hit the utility poles, she parked her vehicle in the front yard of a neighborhood home.

Authorities say that three utility poles were knocked over and power was cut off in and around the intersection where the crash took place. Nearby streetlights and traffic signals were also shut down. Police say that the woman fled the scene of the crash, but officers later tracked her down and arrested her.

Police say that the woman had a blood alcohol concentration of approximately .15 percent, which is almost twice the legal limit in Connecticut. She was booked on DWI charges. Fortunately, she did not suffer injury in the crash.

A drunk driving arrest that follows a Connecticut car accident could be more severe than a drunk driving arrest that does not involve an accident.

Not only could a convicted drunk driver be held criminally accountable and punished for the violation if convicted of the DUI crime, but he or she could also be held financially liable for any damages and/or injuries that arise from the crash. In this case, for example, if the man is convicted of DUI, any claims for civil restitution against him relating to city property damage could be strengthened by that conviction. For this reason, he may want to assert the strongest legal defense possible in order limit his chances of criminal conviction and being held financially liable.

Source: Source: NBC Connecticut, “Accident Damages Three Utility Poles, Driver Arrested for DUI, Stephanie O’Connell, June 22, 2014