An Alexandria man was arrested by Williamsburg Police early Sunday and charged with DUI and maiming after he allegedly rammed his pickup truck into a tree, resulting in his passenger suffering multiple skull fractures and a broken arm.
Maj. Greg Riley of the Williamsburg Police Department said officers responded to a call of a single-vehicle accident at the intersection of Route 132 and Visitor Center Drive at about 2 a.m. Sunday. Upon arrival, they saw a white Chevrolet pickup truck that had smashed into a large tree, resulting in significant damage to the passenger’s side.
Bystanders at the scene were attempting to help an injured man who was trapped in the passenger’s seat. They told the responding officer the driver of the vehicle, 41-year-old Cody Russell Morgan, smelled of alcohol.
The passenger of the truck was eventually extracted from the vehicle by the Williamsburg Fire Department. He was taken to Riverside Doctor’s Hospital to be treated for multiple skull fractures to the front and back of his head and around his eyesockets. He also had a broken arm. He slipped in and out of consciousness as he was removed from the vehicle, but his injuries are not life-threatening.
Riley said officers detected a strong odor of alcohol on Morgan — who told police he had been drinking earlier in the night — as they discussed the incident with him. He was arrested and charged with felony maiming, driving under the influence and refusal to take a blood or breath test. Riley said Morgan complained of an injury to his head and was taken to the hospital before he was taken to the Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail.
The passenger in the vehicle was wearing a seat belt, though it is unclear if Morgan wore his. The truck had to be towed from the scene. No other vehicle was involved in the incident.
