CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — A Chesapeake police officer was diagnosed with a skull fracture and a fractured vertebrae after police say he was struck by a drunken driver over the weekend.
Police say the crash happened around 2:30 a.m. Saturday near the intersection of S. Military Highway and I-464 while the officer was conducting a traffic stop.
The officer had his emergency lights on at the time when police say a vehicle driven by 30-year-old Yacarely Diaz-Castro slammed into the officer’s vehicle, sending him over the guardrail.
The officer was taken to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, where he was diagnosed with a skull fracture and a fracture of the C6 vertebrae.
According to court documents, Diaz-Castro had several empty beer cans in the floor of her vehicle and had a strong odor of alcohol after the crash. She was placed under arrest at 4:25 a.m. after failing two field sobriety tests, court documents show. She later consented to having her blood drawn and an analysis is pending.
Police say Diaz-Castro, a Nicaraguan national who said she’s only been in the U.S. for about seven months, also was not licensed to drive a vehicle.
Police are seeking charges of maiming another resulting from driving while intoxicated and driving without a license, as well as a misdemeanor failure to move over charge.
Anyone with information about this incident is urged to call the Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP, submit a tip online at p3tips.com, or on their smart phone on the p3tips app.
A GoFundMe account has been established to assist the officer injured in the crash, and his family. Click here if you would like to contribute.
Check WAVY.com for the latest details.