Impaired Driver Hits Teens, Truck In Novato: Police

NOVATO, CA — Investigators in Novato allege an impaired driver hit two teen cyclists before crashing head-on into a pickup truck Tuesday on Center Road. Police said the collisions happened roughly 230 yards apart, near the intersections of Holstrom Circle and Laurie Drive, shortly before 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Officers found two 15-year-old boys at the first scene who were hit while riding their mountain bikes and told police the driver did not stop and continued heading west. Medics from the Novato Fire Protection District responded to the scene and rushed one boy to the hospital with serious injuries.

Police said the driver crashed head-on into a Ford F-150, and both occupants of the truck were treated at the hospital for minor injuries. A drug recognition expert evaluated the driver and determined they were impaired. The driver was booked into jail on suspicion of felony hit and run and driving under the influence of a prescribed medication.

"This is a reminder of the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs (even prescription medication," police said Wednesday. "Not everyone realizes that many legally obtained and commonly used OTC or prescription drugs can affect a person's ability to drive safely."