A woman was allegedly over the legal alcohol limit when she crashed into a tree last month, severely injuring her passenger.
The crash occurred at approximately 9:45 a.m. on April 19 on CR 2103 near Crawford Lane. Texas state troopers arrived at the scene to find a single-cab pickup truck in a ditch with its front end against a tree.
The truck’s passenger, the vehicle’s registered owner, was found lying across the seat with a head injury. The driver, 28-year-old Hannah Engledowl of New Boston, Texas, appeared to have less severe injuries. Troopers found several alcoholic beverage containers inside the truck and a case of beer on the floorboard.
Engledowl was reportedly “crying hysterically” and troopers noticed an alcohol odor on her breath. She claimed she had only a few sips of her passenger’s beer and said they had visited a liquor store before the crash. Engledowl stated she lost control of the truck when her passenger yelled at her to stop so he could use the bathroom.
Neither Engledowl nor the passenger appeared to be wearing seat belts at the time of the crash. A blood sample taken from Engledowl at the hospital showed a blood alcohol level of .124, above the legal limit of .08.
The passenger required intubation and spent about a month in the hospital with injuries including closed rib fractures, multiple spinal fractures, aspiration pneumonia, and complications from pre-existing conditions.
Engledowl was arrested on June 6 and is currently held in Bowie County jail on $100,000 bail. She faces charges of intoxication assault with a vehicle causing serious bodily injury, carrying a potential prison sentence of two to ten years if convicted.
