Generally speaking, we expect police officers to protect and to serve. What we may not expect is for a police officer to drive drunk and crash at a high rate of speed into an unsuspecting motorist. But according to authorities in Boston, that last scenario is exactly what led to serious injuries for a Mansfield woman.

The black box in a Boston police officer’s truck showed that he was traveling at 68 miles per hour when he ran a stop sign and crashed into the young woman’s car. When police arrived at the scene, they found the cop’s Toyota Tundra on the sidewalk where the vehicle had crashed into a retaining wall. The accident happened at Austin and West streets on May 24.

The injured woman was driving a Honda Accord — a vehicle that is considerably smaller than the Tundra operated by the drunk police officer. He was injured also, and a test at a local hospital showed his blood-alcohol content to be 0.27 percent. It is illegal to drive a motor vehicle if your blood-alcohol level is higher than 0.08 percent, meaning the cop was more than three times over the legal limit.

He was charged with failing to stop, speeding, reckless operation of a motor vehicle, and operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol. Though he has already pleaded not guilty to the charges, it is hard to imagine, given the evidence, how he will avoid a conviction.

In addition to criminal charges, the officer could be subject to a personal injury claim filed by the injured woman. A photograph of her on a local news site showed her wearing a neck brace, suggesting that her path to full recovery could be a long one.

Source (Previously Published Article): Boston Herald, “Boston cop arraigned in horrific crash,” Christine McConville, July 21, 2012