Sunday, June 17, 2007
Car crashes into Blacksburg crowd, injures 8
A Virginia Tech student told an officer she had been text messaging when she drove onto a sidewalk, police said.
Photo by Shawna Morrison | The Roanoke Times
Mary Elizabeth Bowen, 20, was driving north on Main Street in Blacksburg when she crashed in front of Big Al's Grille & Sports Bar. Police said Bowen told an officer she had been sending a text message on her cellphone when she ran off the road.
A drunken driver swerved off the road and into a crowd as bars closed in downtown Blacksburg early Saturday morning, injuring eight people, police said.
The crash happened just after 2 a.m. in front of Big Al's Grille & Sports Bar at 201 N. Main St.
Mary Elizabeth Bowen, 20, of Winchester was driving a 2001 Toyota RAV4 north on Main Street when she became distracted and swerved across the southbound lanes onto the sidewalk, said Blacksburg police Capt. Bruce Bradbery. Police said Bowen told an officer she had been sending a text message on her cellphone when she ran off the road.
The sport utility vehicle knocked down a small tree planted in the sidewalk and broke a light pole before coming to rest against the corner of Boudreaux's restaurant, blocking the entrance to Big Al's next door.
Eight people were treated for injuries after the crash. Six were taken to Montgomery Regional Hospital and two were taken to Carilion New River Valley Medical Center near Radford, Bradbery said. None appeared to have life-threatening injuries, he said.
Police identified those hurt as Mike Chanov, 22; Ashley McDaniel, 22; James Satterwhite III, 28, Larry Elkins, 33, Amy Ness, 22, Deborah Wolfe, 29, William Montgomery, 24, and James Ferugio, 29. Ness was treated at Carilion New River Valley Medical Center and released. Information about the other victims was not available Saturday night.
Bowen, a Virginia Tech student, was charged with driving under the influence. A breath test indicated that her blood-alcohol content was 0.20 shortly after the crash, Bradbery said. The legal limit is 0.08.
Bowen wasn't injured, Bradbery said.
Police cordoned off Main Street from the College Avenue intersection to Roanoke Street until the wreckage could be cleaned up a couple of hours after the crash.
Staff writer Neil Harvey contributed to this report.
