MAXWELTON, W.Va. (WVDN) – A South Carolina man was arrested late Wednesday night after allegedly driving through an active accident scene on U.S. Route 219 in Greenbrier County while under the influence of alcohol, authorities said.
According to a criminal complaint filed by West Virginia State Police, troopers were assisting the Greenbrier County Sheriff’s Office with a motor vehicle accident near Maxwelton around 11 p.m. when a white pickup truck sped through the southbound lane of the closed roadway. Emergency personnel, including law enforcement officers and firefighters, were on the scene with several cruisers and firetrucks blocking both directions of traffic. While one lane remained partially open to allow emergency vehicles and wreckers to pass, the area was clearly marked and occupied.
A trooper on scene was downloading photographs from the accident and reported hearing officers and firefighters shouting for a vehicle to stop. Moments later he observed a white pickup truck traveling at a high rate of speed toward the crash site, prompting first responders to jump
out of the way. The vehicle passed multiple police vehicles and a firetruck before running over a door in the roadway.
Authorities quickly stopped the vehicle and identified the driver as David M. Figueroa, of South Carolina. Troopers said Figueroa admitted to drinking three beers and showed signs of impairment, including the odor of alcohol on his breath. He allegedly failed multiple field sobriety tests and registered a blood alcohol content of 0.210 on a preliminary breath test at the scene, which is more than two and a half times the legal limit.
Figueroa was arrested and transported to the Greenbrier County Sheriff’s Department, where he consented to further chemical testing. According to police, he recorded blood alcohol levels of 0.181 and 0.196 during two breath tests conducted after 1 a.m. He is expected to face multiple charges, including driving under the influence and reckless driving through a closed emergency scene. Formal charges will be filed in Greenbrier County Magistrate Court.
No injuries were reported from the incident, though police emphasized the danger posed to emergency responders and others at the scene.
Figueroa is in Southern Regional Jail at the time of writing with bail set at $3,000.
