Politics & Government

Police Seize Blood For Testing in Homewrecking Halloween Crash

Police no longer believe a medical emergency caused the driver of a city dump truck to lose control and crash through a house in Fredericksburg.

Fredericksburg City Police have used a search warrant to get two vials of blood for narcotics testing from the driver of a Fredericksburg Public Works dump truck which crashed into a house after striking three cars on Maury Street earlier today.

"At this time it appears that a medical emergency is not to blame for the erratic actions of the driver and subsequent loss of control of the vehicle," reads a brief press release issued by the city police department.

The driver, identified by Fredericksburg Public Works Director Doug Fawcett, was 32-year-old Fredericksburg resident and municipal employee Ricardo Edwards. Fawcett did not have on hand information about how long Edwards has worked for the city. Fawcett said he was familiar with Edwards as an emloyee at the city shop, but declined to go into any detail about his performance as an employee.

Police want the results of the drug test before deciding if any charges will be filed for this incident. 

"We are continuing our investigation, we are not pressing charges yet,"  said city police spokesperson Natatia Bledsoe in an interview.

Bledsoe said eyewitness accounts describing a dazed and confused Edwards and  Edwards' refusal to voluntarily provide a blood sample for testing have raised their suspicions.

"Everybody on the scene was initially thinking, 'was this a diabetic emergency, a seizure?' or something like that," said Bledsoe. "After we got the witness statements it was pretty clear we were headed in a different direction."

If the tests come back positive for narcotics, Bledsoe said Edwards could be charged with driving under the influence of drugs and charged for failing to submit to a blood test.

A first offense for driving under the influence of drugs is a Class 1 misdemeanor with a mandatory minimum fine of $250. Refusing to submit to a blood test can result in the loss of a driver's license.

The incident, which occurred at about noon, saw Edwards' orange city dump truck careen around a corner in the 600 block of Maury Street, slamming into three cars, totaling one brand new hatchback, before punching through the front living room wall of homeowner Tim Hall's modest abode at 634 Maury Street.

The impact left a gaping hole in Hall's livingroom, with the interior dashed to peices by flying debris. Immediately after the crash, Hall's dog, the only occupant of the home at the time, ran scared down the street and a neighbor had to run it down. Police say that inspectors from Fredericksburg's Building and Development Services have described the damage as "extensive", rendering the entire structure uninhabitable until repaired.

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Neighbor Missy Sweeney said she first heard tires squealing and a series of loud impacts before going outside to see the commotion. She says that as she came outside she saw the truck slam into Hall's car and then into the home. She was amazed at the force by which the truck moved cars and structures.

Sweeney, one of the first people on the scene, described the driver as dazed an confused immediately following the accident.

Find out what's happening in Fredericksburgwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"He was out of it, he didn't know what was going on," said Sweeney.

Hall was himself in Nags Head, N.C. on vacation when the accident occured. Neighbors and police say that Hall was en route back to Fredericksburg to inspect the damage tonight.

"On Friday, my husband said to him 'I wonder what you're going to miss this time,'" said Sweeney. Apparently Hall has been out of town for the late summer as well as being out of town for the , a few blocks away. "We were making a joke that somethings going to happen this time, too."

"I don't think he's going anywhere again now," said Sweeney.


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