New Bedford Woman Arrested After Westport, Fall River Crashes

A New Bedford woman faces charges after allegedly leaving a Fall River barroom while drunk, hitting a motorcyclist at Rt. 24 and Brayton Avenue, then heading into Westport and striking a building and a guardrail with her black Pontiac G5.

46-year-old Kristin Medeiros of 109 South Second Street in New Bedford was booked Saturday night by Westport police on OUI and property destruction over $1,200. Fall River police are additionally charging Medeiros with negligent operation of a motor vehicle, leaving the scene of an accident with property damage, and leaving the scene of an accident with personal injury, said Fall River Lt. Jay Huard.

Shortly after 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Westport police arrived at State Road near White's of Westport and found a badly damaged black Pontiac facing north across the eastbound lane with the rear bumper up against a nearby guardrail. The airbag had deployed and a woman was sitting on the guardrail, Westport Police Detective Robert Rebello said in a media release. Police say the woman's eyes were glassy and that the odor of alcohol could be detected through her mask. They say that a nearby building at 95 State Road had also been hit by the Pontiac.

Dispatch confirmed that Medeiros' vehicle was additionally wanted in connection with an earlier crash in Fall River at Brayton Avenue and Rt. 24 where a motorcyclist was struck and injured with non-life-threatening injuries, Westport police said.

At the State Road crash scene, a witness showed up and reported that Medeiros had earlier left St. John's Club in Fall River while highly intoxicated, Westport Police said. The witness alleged that Medeiros could barely walk, had fallen down while trying to get into her vehicle, and had hit a curb while speeding off. Patrons at the club were reportedly in the process of calling a taxi for Medeiros when she drove off on her own.

Westport Fire Department paramedics arrived on scene to evaluate Medeiros. She was transported to St. Anne's Hospital for evaluation, and upon release, was transported to the Westport Police Department for booking, Westport Police said.