VIRGINIA BEACH — A motorcyclist suffered a traumatic brain injury during a crash with a drunk driver in Virginia Beach, police say.
Police believe Mary Ann Lee, 58, consumed at least twice the legal limit of alcohol before she got behind the wheel of a 2008 Nissan Xterra on the afternoon of July 28, according to documents filed in Virginia Beach Circuit Court.
Around 3:45 p.m., Lee was driving west on Matthews Green Road when she stopped at a stop sign at the intersection of Princess Anne Road. When she went through the intersection toward Huckleberry Trail, a motorcyclist traveling south on Princess Anne Road with the right of way ran into her passenger side door.
The man was thrown from the motorcycle and was knocked unconscious. He was assessed at Virginia Beach General Hospital, and had internal bleeding, spine fractures, a traumatic brain injury and a fracture to his femur, court documents state.
“The motorcyclist was in serious condition that day,” Virginia Beach Police Department spokeswoman Linda Kuehn wrote in an email.
Kuehn said she did not know the current status of the motorcyclist. Due to HIPPA rules, she said, police would not provide that information unless the motorcyclist had died.
A VBPD officer visited Lee at Virginia Beach General Hospital where she was being treated about three hours after the crash happened. At that time, Lee admitted to having had wine before she started driving. She took and failed a sobriety test, as well as a breath test, which showed that she had a blood alcohol content of .152 in her system at that time, court documents show.
Lee has been charged with driving while intoxicated. She may be charged with other crimes depending on how seriously the motorcyclist is injured.
She is currently being held in the Virginia Beach Correctional Center. She is scheduled to appear in Virginia Beach General District Court on Sept. 12.
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