Man who allegedly fled Hingham crash found unconscious by drone in wooded area, police say

01/01/2024

A 23-year-old man from Quincy will be summonsed to court on charges of operating under the influence of alcohol and leaving the scene of a crash involving property damage after he allegedly crashed a SUV in Hingham, then fled and was later found by a police drone unconscious in a wooded area nearby, officials said.

The man, whose identity was not released because he was not arrested, was also cited for negligent operation of a vehicle, a marked lanes violation, and speeding, according to a statement [1] released by the Hingham Police Department.

At 4:23 a.m. Saturday, police responded to reports of a crash on Lincoln Street in which the driver had fled the scene, according to the statement. Police arrived to find a 2020 Chevrolet Suburban with severe damage.

A witness at the scene told officers the driver had been alone in the vehicle when it crashed, and when the witness said he was going to contact the police, the driver ran away, according to the statement.

An investigation showed that the SUV had been heading south at a high speed on Lincoln Street when it drove off the road and struck a large tree, before spinning 180 degrees and coming to a rest near a utility pole on the opposite side of the road, according to the statement. The impact was severe and caused a tire and a portion of the axle to fully detach from the car and land in the road. Officers also noticed blood on the driver’s side airbag, police said.

Police launched a search for the driver involving K9 units and a drone, which found him a short time later lying facedown, unconscious, in a wooded area near Bremer Circle, according to the statement.

Police were able to wake the man, who smelled of alcohol and whose eyes were glassy and bloodshot, police said.

The man matched a description of the SUV driver provided by the witness, and items with the man’s name on them were found inside the Suburban, according to the statement.

He was taken by ambulance to South Shore Hospital in Weymouth, according to the statement, but was not arrested.

Collin Robisheaux can be reached at [email protected][2].

Follow him on Twitter @ColRobisheaux [3].

References

^ statement (www.facebook.com)
^ [email protected] (www.bostonglobe.com)
^ @ColRobisheaux (www.twitter.com)