Drunk Woman Involved in Hit and Run with Injuries, Drove Home on Three Wheels: Police

North Penn Now Staff•

A Norristown woman is facing multiple misdemeanor and summary charges after she allegedly crashed into a vehicle off of Bethlehem Pike, then fled the scene on only three wheels.

According to the criminal complaint, Lower Gwynedd Township Police were dispatched to the intersection of Bethlehem Pike and Mt. Pleasant Avenue on Sept. 7 at 4:56 p.m. for a report of a hit-and-run crash in progress. Multiple callers indicated that the striking vehicle—a blue Ford Explorer—had fled the scene on three wheels, with the driver’s side wheel assembly and hub completely missing.

Several minutes later, police located the vehicle stopped along the 400 block of Brookside Avenue. The report states that the left-front of the vehicle was heavily damaged, and it left a trail of liquid debris, gouge marks and heavy tire marks from the scene of the accident to the location where it was found.

Upon locating the vehicle, police observed a female—later identified as 64-year-old Kathleen O’Donnell—moving quickly away from the vehicle and struggling to open the front door of a residence, according to the complaint. Once she entered the home, she allegedly looked in the direction of police and closed the door, the report states.

Police knocked at the door, but O’Donnell allegedly would not answer, the report states. At the same time, police learned that an ambulance was being dispatched to the scene of the accident for unknown injuries sustained in the crash, according to the report.

After a second officer arrived to the location of the vehicle, police got the attention of O’Donnell via a rear kitchen window, and she motioned to meet them at the front door, the report states. Police said that O’Donnell was mostly uncooperative, only allegedly stating that she hit something while turning left on Mt. Pleasant Avenue and she then drove to her aunt’s house, who was currently in a nursing facility, according to the report.

Police described O’Donnell as having difficulty with her balance, and possessing a strong odor of alcohol that was emanating from her person, the report states. She was then placed under arrest and taken into custody.

Once in custody, O’Donnell allegedly remained defiant, and would not answer questions or give consent for a chemical test to determine her blood-alcohol content. She was then transported to Abington Memorial Hospital for a medical issue, and later, medical staff obtained a blood specimen for medical purposes, the report states.

Police obtained a search warrant four days later to seize any remaining blood specimens obtained from O’Donnell following the incident, and later had a forensic analysis performed on the samples, which allegedly indicated that her blood-alcohol content was .104-percent at the time the sample was taken.

The investigation into the crash allegedly revealed that O’Donnell had made an unsafe left turn onto Mt. Pleasant Avenue and struck nearly the entire driver’s side of another vehicle, causing injuries to its occupants and rendering the vehicle disabled, according to the report.

O’Donnell then allegedly drove 1.1 miles to her aunt’s house, causing damage to multiple roadways, police said.

As a result of the incident, O’Donnell was charged on Nov. 5 with misdemeanor counts of DUI, accidents involving death or personal injury, accidents involving damage to attended vehicles and recklessly endangering another person, as well as summary charges of failure to stop and render aid, failure to report an accident to police, reckless driving, careless driving, operating a vehicle without insurance, making an illegal left turn and failure to carry a license.

As the charges were filed by mail, no booking image or bail is available at this time. O’Donnell will be processed prior to her preliminary hearing, which is scheduled for Dec. 23 at 2 p.m. in front of Magisterial District Judge Suzan Leonard.

(Editor’s note: All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause, and reflects the point of view of the police. Should the defendant choose to issue a public statement, or is later found not guilty or has the charges dropped, we will update this article accordingly.)