Woman accused of driving drunk with kids in the car held on $100K

ARLINGTON, Mass. (MyFoxBoston.com) -- A Winthrop woman was held after her arraignment Monday after allegedly driving drunk with a car full of people and children. She is also accused of fleeing the scene of several accidents.

According to court documents obtained by FOX25, Lillian Claudio slammed into multiple cars and injured three people, one severely, all with an open container of beer in the cup holder of the car and seven empty beer bottles and nips on the floor. All the while two children were sharing the middle seat, without proper car seats. One of the children had to be hospitalized, but the defense says the group was coming from apple picking and Claudio wasn't drunk.

This all happened in Arlington Saturday night on several parts of Warren and Wyman Streets. Police say 35-year-old Claudio left the scene of two crashes she caused, only stopping when she slammed into a third vehicle.

FOX25 spoke to a witness who saw and heard it all, calling it a "humongous" crash.

"It sounded like an explosion," the witness said. "There was a hit and run at the other end of the block and then came up this side street and then somehow hit the red suv and it had been spun, the man was ejected and then she crashed under the black pick-up truck."

Claudio now faces half a dozen charges including child endangerment while operating under the influence and leaving the scene of a personal injury crash.  Police say her blood alcohol level was almost twice the legal limit.

A Somerville man was also injured. He was ejected through the windshield of his SUV when Claudio allegedly hit him head-on. He is in ICU in the hospital and his condition has been upgraded from critical to fair.

"He had to be put into a medically induced coma and a hole had to be drilled in his brain to alleviate the swelling," the assistant district attorney said.

Some of the passengers who were inside Claudio's car refused to give us their version of events.

Claudio's defense attorney also offered little explanation for Claudio's erratic driving, but said he spoke to someone who was with her all day and said she wasn't drinking.

Because the children were in the car, DCF is getting involved.

Claudio told officers she wasn't drunk and says the beer can in her car was a leftover one. She's being held on $100,000 bail and is due back in court at the end of October.

Cox Media Group