VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — A Virginia Beach woman will serve five years in prison for a DUI crash that left a man permanently impaired last year.
Virginia Beach police said 60-year-old Mary-Ann Lee drove under the influence, and collided with a motorcycle at the intersection of Princess Anne Road and Mathews Green Road on July 28, 2017.
Police said Lee’s blood alcohol level at the time of the crash was three times the legal limit. The crash happened around 3:45 p.m. Lee admitted she had been drinking alcohol since 8 a.m. that day.
Lee had pulled out into the intersection when she did not have the right of way, according to the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s evidence. The motorcyclist was traveling southbound on Princess Anne Road and struck Lee’s passenger door, causing him to be thrown from the motorcycle.
The motorcyclist was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries after police and rescue crews arrived on the scene of the crash. He sustained traumatic brain injuries, internal bleeding, spinal fractures, lacerations to several internal organs, a punctured lung and more.
According to the Commonwealth’s Attorney, earlier that day the motorcyclist had been accepted into the Virginia Beach Police Department Training Academy. He was unable to follow through with the program due to his injuries and spent many months hospitalized at different facilities across the country.
Lee was found guilty of maiming, victim permanently impaired from DUI at her trial on May 21. Her five year sentence is the maximum punishment for this charge.