Bloomington police report: Early Sunday morning death when drunk driver hits scooter rider
In the early morning hours of Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022, a drunk driver veered up onto the sidewalk of North Walnut Street near 12th Street causing one person on the sidewalk to jump out of the way, according to a Sunday afternoon news release from Bloomington police.
But the driver struck a 20-year-old man riding an electric scooter, and the man has died from his injuries, according to the news release.
Bloomington police arrested 22-year-old Madelyn N. Howard of Crown Point and have charged her with two crimes: Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated Resulting in Death (a level 4 felony) and Leaving the Scene of an Accident Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury or Death While Intoxicated (level 3 felony).
According to the news release, the car driven by Howard was seen on security footage from a nearby business driving with its passenger-side tires up on the sidewalk on the east side of Walnut Street. According to the news release, the car was driving fast and a person on the sidewalk can be seen jumping out of the way of the car into the grass just before it strikes the victim on the scooter.
According to the news release, the man was found lying along the east edge of Walnut Street just north of the intersection of 12th and Walnut Street. He was taken by ambulance to the IU Health Bloomington Hospital.
Bloomington police officers responded to the call around 1:50 a.m on Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022, according to the news release.
Howard was located by Indiana University police officers at 19th and Lincoln streets, seven blocks north of the crash scene according to the news release. Howard’s arrest came after IUPD officers learned from a security officer, who had been driving through the area, some details about the 19th and Lincoln scene. The security officer told police that the 2012 Mercedes-Benz driven by Howard was headed north on Lincoln Street and it sounded as if the car was dragging something.
According to the news release, the security officer said that Howard’s car stopped at the intersection of 19th Street and Lincoln Street and a woman got out of the driver’s seat and a man got out of the front passenger seat. According to the news release, the security officer heard bystanders tell the occupants of the vehicle that they were dragging an electric scooter under their car.
The bystanders helped the driver remove the scooter just before IUPD arrived on scene, according to the news release.
According to the new release Howard failed dexterity tests and was taken into custody. She was taken to the IU Health Bloomington Hospital for a blood draw, then to the Bloomington Police Department for further questioning.
