Scooter Driver Gets DUI Charge In Vernon Rail Trail Crash Case

VERNON, CT — A man who was airlifted to an ares hospital after crashing his scooter on the Vernon Rails-to-Trails system over the summer has been charged with drunken driving.

A warrant was served to 39-year-old Alan Taylor over the weekend with the DUI charge.

According to the warrant, Taylor was driving a scooter on the trails, which is illegal, after drinking and tests showed a blood alcohol content of .280, well beyond the legal limit of .08.

The crash took place on Aug. 25 on a section of the trail off of Tallwood Drive. At 5:44 p.m. that day, a witness to the crash called Vernon police to say a man had been thrown from a scooter and was unconscious on the trail with what appeared to be a head injury, according to a warrant.

When emergency responders arrived, they found Taylor back on his feet and holding a T-shirt to a cut on his head, according to a warrant. His speech was slurred, he smelled of alcohol and had trouble answering some basic questions correctly, according to a warrant.

Fearing that Taylor had a serious head injury, emergency medical technicians tried to place him in a neck brace and on a backboard, but Taylor needed to be handcuffed after threatening to kill responders during a squirming scuffle, according to a warrant.

He was eventually transported to a local fire station and airlifted to an area hospital.