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A driver originally charged with driving under the influence and hit-and-run after hitting a construction worker in Albemarle County. The driver, Vitalija Vasciunaite, now faces a charge of maiming a person while driving while intoxicated.
The accident happened in the early morning near mile marker 103 on I-64. A construction worker, Jose Porfirio Martinez, was doing bridge repair work when he was hit by a 1999 Buick sedan. The driver of the Buick, Vasciunaite, fled the scene of the accident.
Martinez had to be taken to the University of Virginia Medical Center. His injuries were life-threatening; in court the commonwealth’s attorney later stated that Martinez’ injuries included a broken leg and arm. He is expected to be released from the hospital soon.
Vasciunaite, a college student and a native of Lithuania, was found to have a blood alcohol content over the legal limit in Virginia of 0.08. She told police that she was returning home from a party in Harrisonburg when she hit the driver. The judge in her case has ordered a $15,000 bond.
Work-zone safety has become a focus in Virginia, where eight workers were killed in highway work zones between 2004 and 2008. In this case, Martinez was hit less than a mile from a VDOT workers memorial.
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