Charleston Woman Arrested on DUI Charges with Child in Car After Wreck

November 30, 2010 - Charleston, W.Va. - A woman who allegedly struck another car while driving under the influence in Kanawha City has been arrested. The woman's 3-year-old son was in the back seat of her vehicle at the time of the accident.

The Charleston Gazette reports that the accident occurred on Monday, Nov. 22, on MacCorkle Avenue in Kanawha City. Sandra Lynn Boggess, 39, of Charleston, was travelling westbound on the roadway when her Buick Century collided with a Toyota 4-Runner. Witnesses say Boggess then left the scene of the accident.

A witness on the scene recorded Boggess' license plate number and gave that number to Charleston Police. This allowed police to find Boggess at a residence on Little Creek Road in Chelyan at around 1 p.m. Monday.

According to police, Boggess was "swaying while standing," her breath smelled of alcohol, her eyes were bloodshot, and her speech was slurred. When asked about the accident, Boggess said, "I was drinking and driving and wrecked." It was also revealed that all of this occurred while Boggess' 3-year-old son was in the back of her vehicle.

Boggess was arrested by State Police. Her blood-alcohol content could not be determined. Boggess has been charged with 4 misdemeanor counts of leaving the scene of a crash involving damage to a vehicle, DUI with child endangerment, no insurance and defective equipment.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's 2009 West Virginia Crash Statistics show that there were 356 fatalities as a result of car accidents in West Virginia.

In an effort to raise awareness of common factors in serious and fatal car accidents in West Virginia, our firm routinely publishes news items about traffic crashes in our region.

Common West Virginia accidents include, but are not limited to:

• single-car crashes;
• tractor-trailer accidents;
• accidents caused by hazardous road conditions; and
• distracted driver crashes.

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