BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A woman arrested in a northwest Bakersfield crash had a blood-alcohol level so high it placed her at risk of going into a coma — or even dying.
A breath test administered to Michelle Delossantos registered a BAC of .458 percent, nearly six times the legal limit of .08 percent, according to court documents.
Police confirmed the reading. Studies say a BAC of .40 percent or higher can result in coma or death due to respiratory arrest.
Delossantos, 55, has a hearing scheduled next week on charges stemming from her arrest last year. She has pleaded not guilty to two felonies related to injuring a person while driving under the influence.
On the evening of Oct. 28, police were called to a crash in the area of Calloway Drive and Laurel Park Avenue.
Police interviewed Delossantos, who said she had been driving a Jeep Cherokee that collided with another vehicle, according to court documents. The other driver suffered injuries including a back fracture and bruised lungs.
“I contacted Delossantos and while speaking to her, I smelled a strong odor of alcohol emitting from her breath and noticed she had slurred speech,” Officer Matthew Aquino wrote in the documents.
He determined Delossantos was at fault in the crash.
Delossantos agreed to the breath test, after which she was taken to Kern Medical to be medically cleared then placed under arrest, the documents say.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled May 23.
