MOTORIST CHARGED WITH DRUNKEN DRIVING
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| Surrounded by debris, including some of his prized NASCAR collectibles, Terry Brouillette of Worcester views the damage to his first-floor apartment a few hours after a car crashed through the wall and into his bedroom. Commenting on all the police that responded to the accident, Mr. Brouillette said, "I don't understand why they kept wiping their feet before coming into the apartment." (T&G Staff/PAUL KAPTEYN) |
By Scott J. Croteau TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
scott.croteau@telegram.com
WORCESTER—It wasn't an alarm clock that sprung 71-year-old Terry Brouillette from bed this morning. It was a four-door 2003 Subaru Legacy.
Fast asleep in his bottom-floor apartment at 124 Vernon St., Mr. Brouillette awoke about 2:30 a.m.when a boom echoed through his room. Groggy and unsure what happened, he flipped on a light switch.
"There was almost a whole car. It's a good thing I have a strong heart," he said. "I heard a big bang. I jumped up out of bed."
A car had somehow veered off Montrose Street and smashed through a concrete wall before coming to rest inches from Mr. Brouillette's bed. Police said the car's front wheel was over Mr. Brouillette's bed.
"I know my time will come," he said this morning, a fresh, white bandage wrapped around his head. "Apparently this wasn't my time."
Police are still investigating how the car jumped the curb at Montrose and Vernon streets and into the side of the multi-apartment building.
Police said three women and one man were in the car. The driver, identified by police as Jennifer Rodriguez, 33, of 14 Montrose St., Apt. 3, was charged with drunken driving, driving negligently, unlicensed driving and giving a false name to police. No one in the car was injured, according to police.
"How did they have enough speed to go over the curb, over a stump and through the wall?" Mr. Brouillette asked. "I saw someone moving and asked if they were all right."
Police said Ms. Rodriguez was driving from Vernon Street to Montrose Street when she allegedly struck a parked car. Her car then veered across the street and into the apartment building.
Accident reconstruction investigators spoke to Ms. Rodriguez after the crash.
"While speaking with the driver, officers detected a strong odor of alcohol coming from her breath," police said in a news release. "The female also exhibited blood shot eyes, slurred speech and difficulty standing. The female failed a Breathalyzer test."
With his bedroom a mess this morning, Mr. Brouillette looked around the room. He was upset that some of his Tony Stewart race-car collectibles, which were carefully placed in cases, had been tossed across the room.
Mr. Brouillette shook his head while surveying the damage. He was amazed his furniture didn't land on top of him during the accident.
Last night, it wasn't until he went outside and combed his hair that Mr. Brouillette noticed his head was cut. He was taken to St. Vincent Hospital, where three staples were inserted to close the wound. The wound might have been caused by a piece of flying glass, Mr. Brouillette said.
This morning, boards covered the hole in the wall and a nearby window that was broken in the crash. Mr. Brouillette was busy collecting clothes from his bedroom early today. Insulation, wood and even the car's side mirror were strewn about the room.
A tow truck was called to the scene to remove the car. White spray paint covered the lawn and area around the crash, a sign of police's investigation.
"My mother always said God protected fools and drunks," Mr. Brouillette quipped. "I used to be both."
Contact Scott J. Croteau at scott.croteau@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @ScottCroteauTG
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