JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — (Note: The video above is from a previous related report.)
A newly released drunk-driving arrest report details what happened in a July 23 crash that seriously injured a Florida Highway Patrol lieutenant who had been stopped on the side of Interstate 295.
The 6:30 p.m. rear-end crash crushed the back of Lt. Sonja Chapman's unmarked sport-utility vehicle and left her with "incapacitating injuries," according to the report.
Brian David Kendig, 31, of Jacksonville was charged with DUI with injury and property damage, leaving the scene of an accident and possession of a controlled substance. He also was cited for failing to use a designated lane, resulting in an impact with a parked Highway Patrol vehicle, according to court records.
The four-page arrest report states that Kendig was south on I-295 in a Ford F-150 pickup truck about 6:30 p.m. and was unable to maintain his lane. He hit a concrete barrier wall, then a GMC pickup truck in an adjacent lane but kept going, the report said.
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He was approaching the San Jose Boulevard exit when he veered off the road and hit another barrier, the report said. That is near where Chapman's unmarked SUV was parked as she monitored I-295 traffic and was struck.
Chapman was taken to Orange Park Medical Center with facial lacerations and a significant leg injury, the report said. Kendig was found slumped over in his truck.
When the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department arrived, Kendig said he did not suffer any significant injuries and refused to be taken to a hospital, the arrest report said.
"I asked if Kendig was able to stand or walk toward my patrol vehicle to which he indicated he would have no trouble doing so," the report said. Kendig told the trooper he wasn't sure what took place during the crash, saying he had just left his job and was going home.
Investigators noticed he had watery eyes, a flushed face and droopy eyelids, the report said.
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