BOWIE COUNTY, Texas–A woman whose passenger reportedly suffered severe injuries when she crashed into a tree last month was allegedly over the legal limit for alcohol.
A Texas state trooper was dispatched at about 9:45 a.m. on the morning of April 19 to a single-vehicle crash on CR 2103 near Crawford Lane, according to a probable cause affidavit. A single-cab pickup was positioned in a ditch with its front end resting against a tree.
The truck was registered to the passenger, who was lying across the seat and apparently suffering from a head injury, while the driver, Hannah Engledowl, 28, of New Boston, Texas, appeared to have suffered less severe injuries. Several alcoholic beverage containers were strewn about the truck’s cab and a case of beer was reportedly sitting on the floorboard, the affidavit said.
Engledowl was “crying hysterically” at the crash site and officers allegedly noticed an odor of alcohol coming from her breath. Engledowl allegedly denied drinking more than a few sips of her passenger’s beer and told the officers they had been to a liquor store prior to the wreck.
Engledowl allegedly told officers that she was startled and lost control of the truck after her passenger yelled at her to stop so he could use the bathroom, the affidavit said. Neither Engledowl nor the passenger “appeared to be wearing seat belts,” according to the affidavit.
A sample of Engledowl’s blood taken at a hospital after the crash allegedly showed a blood alcohol level of .124, well above the limit of .08 at which drivers are considered impaired under the law.
The passenger in the truck required intubation to help him breathe, the affidavit said. He reportedly spent about a month in the hospital before being released and had suffered injuries including closed rib fractures, multiple spinal fractures, aspiration pneumonia and complications from “multiple pre-existing conditions,” the affidavit said.
Engledowl was arrested June 6 and is currently being held in the Bowie County jail with bail set at $100,000. If convicted of intoxication assault with a vehicle causing serious bodily injury, she faces two to ten years in prison.
