Crime & Safety
5-Time Attleboro Drunk Driver Held After Hitting Girl: DA
Police said Richard Higgins has four drunk-driving convictions and was drunk again when he hit a girl in Boston.

BOSTON, MA — An Attleboro man with four drunk driving convictions was held in custody Monday after police said he was drunk again when he hit and seriously injured a 12-year-old girl in Boston over the weekend. Richard Higgins, 78, was charged with a host of crimes following the crash in Dorchester Saturday. Police said he drove off after hitting the girl but was tracked down a short time later.
The girl reportedly suffered internal injuries but was expected to survive. The victim's mother broke down in tears following Higgins' court hearing in Boston Monday, according to the Boston Globe. "I don't know why she has to go through this," she said.
Higgins admitted to consuming alcohol and Vicodin and witnesses said they saw him toss cans of alcohol out of his vehicle following the crash, police said. Prosecutors said he smelled like alcohol when they caught up with him. (Sign up for free daily newsletters and breaking news alerts from Attleboro Patch.)
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Higgins was charged with driving under the influence (fifth offense), driving under the influence of drugs, operating after suspension, leaving the scene of a crash, negligent driving and speeding. He was convicted of drunk driving in 1962, 1996, 1998 and 2007.
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A mother says her 12-year-old girl, who was hit by an alleged drunk driver in South Boston, won’t be the same. https://t.co/hMAbd2GZ4Q pic.twitter.com/CE3oz3neKh
— The Boston Globe (@BostonGlobe) August 7, 2017
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