West Hartford Police: Woman in Center Crashes Had BAC Over Twice Legal Limit

A 21-year-old Madison woman is facing several charges for allegedly crashing her car into a pair West Hartford businesses before coming to rest on the lawn of another building on South Main Street on Sunday morning.

Samantha Taschner told police that she had been drinking at several West Hartford establishments before she got into her 1999 Volvo station wagon, according to a report.

Police found Taschner around 3 a.m. on Sunday sobbing hysterically and talking on her cell phone at 80 S. Main St. The Volvo, which had its air bags deployed, had hopped a curb, took down a small tree and crashed into a sign before coming to rest, according to the police report.

Taschner told police that she did not remember crashing into the building that houses Harry’s Pizza and Radio Shack at 39 S. Main St. Although the building sustained “extensive damage,” according to the report, Harry’s and Radio Shack were both open for business on Sunday.

Police said that Taschner had first exited out of the lot at 4 S. Main St., drove south on South Main St., went between a sign and a fence, and crashed into Harry’s Pizza/Radio Shack. She then appeared to back out and travel onto Pelham Drive, attempted to make a right hand turn and eventually crashed into the property at 80 S. Main St., police said.

When police arrived at the scene at 80 S. Main St., Taschner had a “strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from her,” the report says. She did not have her shoes on, nor were shoes present in her vehicle, according to the report. Taschner took field sobriety tests without shoes on, according to the report. Based on the results of the field sobriety tests, police placed Taschner, who was not injured, under arrest.

Taschner was unable to provide a breathalyzer sample for two hours after the accident because she vomited several times, according to the report. Her blood alcohol concentration eventually registered .1761 at 4:51 a.m., the report says. In Connecticut, a BAC of .08 or higher is legally intoxicated. But the second breath test was incomplete because she kept vomiting, according to the report. The breath test was, therefore, incomplete and a urine test was sent to the state lab for further evaluation.