DUI Suspect's Arm Severed in Carlsbad Scooter Crash: PD

The suspected DUI crash shut down traffic in both directions on busy Cannon Road for several hours Wednesday morning

A 19-year-old woman suspected of driving a scooter under the influence of alcohol suffered a severed arm after she plowed into a center divider and traffic sign in Carlsbad Wednesday morning, police said.

The Carlsbad Police Department said the young DUI suspect lost control of her scooter and crashed into a median just after 3:45 a.m. on Cannon Road, just east of Hemingway Drive.

Investigators said the collision with the center median caused the woman to fly off her scooter. Her body then hit a sign on the roadway, and her arm was severed in the impact. A police officer who arrived at the scene within minutes saw the woman had lost her arm and applied a tourniquet to control her bleeding until firefighters and paramedics arrived.

Police said the woman was alert but seriously injured. She was rushed to Scripps Hospital in La Jolla and then was transferred to UC San Diego Medical Center. She is expected to survive.

The Carlsbad Police Department said a witness told officers the woman was unable to negotiate a turn in the road due to her speed. The crash remains under investigation, though police suspect alcohol was a factor.

The collision shut down traffic for hours in both directions on busy Cannon Road. Motorists were advised to avoid the road between Faraday Avenue and El Camino Real. Officers planned to remain at the scene for several hours collecting evidence.

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