A Waltham resident is dead and another has been charged with vehicular homicide after a hit-and-run car crash near the intersection of Church and School streets before Thanksgiving.
Waltham resident Blanca Contreras, 29, struck 39-year-old Scott “Scotty” Coxall with her Nissan Pathfinder SUV, around 6 p.m. on Nov. 23. Contreras failed to stop at the stop sign at the intersection and fled the scene traveling approximately 60 miles per hour in a 30 mile per hour zone, according to The Waltham News Tribune.
Police found Coxall unconscious at the scene, and he was transported to Newton-Wellesley Hospital with serious injuries to his head, upper right leg and internal organs, and suffered a fracture in his right leg. One week later on Dec. 1, Coxall died at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Contreras currently faces a slew of charges including reckless vehicular homicide, driving without a Massachusetts driver’s license, driving to endanger, leaving the scene with property damage, leaving the scene with personal injury, using a motor vehicle without authority, speeding, failure to stop at a stop sign and failure to stop for a pedestrian at a crosswalk.
After Contreras first fled the scene of the accident, police later found her at her home and brought her to the Waltham Police Station for questioning. Upon investigating further, police discovered Contreras that is an illegal alien from Guatemala who has been living in the United States for 11 years, according to The Tribune. Contreras was brought before the Waltham District Court this past Monday, and was held on $50,000 bail.
Although Contreras held a clean record prior to the Nov. 23 accident, District Attorney Ceara Mahoney classified her as a “flight risk,” fearing that she might try to flee the country. Contreras was also accused of providing police with several conflicting stories, first denying involvement in the incident and then later admitting to the crime. As a result, her attorney Gerard Walsh was unsuccessful in his attempt to lower Contreras’ bail from $50,000 to $2,500.
“While she did admit to being involved in the accident, I would suggest that she was never completely forthright with the officer regarding the incident,” said Mahoney.
Contreras is currently under 24-hour surveillance, and an electronic bracelet is monitoring her movement at her home. She was asked to surrender her passport and is not permitted to drive, according to The Tribune. Contreras will next appear in court on Jan. 3 for a pretrial hearing.
