A woman has been taken into custody following a hit-and-run incident on October 9 in Clearwater, Florida, which resulted in a 16-year-old cyclist being hospitalized.
Emergency services were called to the scene at 2:48 p.m. on Court Street, where they found a teenage boy had been struck by a vehicle, sustaining serious injuries that threatened his life.
The Clearwater Police Department’s arrest affidavit revealed that the young cyclist had the right of way when he was hit by a car driven by 66-year-old Colette Fortley Pizzarella.
During their investigation, officers noted that Pizzarella appeared impaired, observing her bloodshot, watery eyes and unusually constricted pupils. They also reported that her balance was “noticeably unsteady.”
Pizzarella consented to a field sobriety test, which she did not pass. Following the test, she was transported to a hospital for medical assessment, where a legal blood sample was collected.
Subsequent analysis by the Pinellas County Forensic Laboratory confirmed that Pizzarella had delta-9 carboxy THC and methadone, a narcotic pain reliever, in her system at the time of the collision.
The Clearwater Police Department arrested Pizzarella and charged her with driving under the influence causing serious bodily injury.
