Cops: Drunk ER doctor caused crash

WELLESLEY, Mass. (WPRI) – Police say an emergency room doctor at Newton-Wellesley Hospital was drunk and on drugs when she crashed her SUV into traffic Friday morning.

Surveillance video shows the SUV barreling over a strip of grass and onto its front wheels, then smashing into a line of traffic.

Police have identified the driver as Kristen Howard, 56, who was named Doctor of the Year at Newtown-Wellesley Hospital in 2009.

Officials say Dr. Howard was both drunk and on drugs when the crash occurred.

Dr. Howard's SUV slammed into 78-year-old Paul McDonald’s car who said, “ It was like a bomb went off in the car, that’s really all I remember, I was in total shock.”

Reports say that when Dr. Howard exited her car after the accident, she was wearing her hospital scrubs and smelled like alcohol.

“When she exited the car she was unsteady, and was lethargic,” said McDonald.

Police say the incident started in the Whole Foods parking lot, Dr. Howard backed over a fence twice, hit a van, and tried to flee the scene.

She is now recovering from broken ribs and major bruises. Dr. Howard has been relieved of her duties at the hospital pending an investigation.