Police say intoxicated driver caused accident with injuries in Madisonville

HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) – Madisonville Police arrested a man who they say caused an accident with injuries on Friday while he was under the influence.

According to documents, officers were dispatched to a report of an accident with injuries on west Noel Avenue just before 6:30 p.m.. Eyewitnesses at the scene told officers Ernesto Vasquez Rodriguez, 33, had been driving eastbound on Noel Avenue without headlights in the rain and swerving in and out of his lane, causing other vehicles to swerve to avoid collisions.

Police say Rodriguez crossed into the opposite traffic lane and hit another vehicle traveling westbound. The driver of the other vehicle was taken to a hospital with a leg injury.

Police say Rodriguez said the other vehicle hit his vehicle and then fled the scene, despite officers telling him the other vehicle was only a couple hundred feet away. Police say he admitted to drinking three to four beers earlier that morning.

Officers asked Rodriguez to submit to a breathalyzer test, but according to authorities, Rodriguez would avoid blowing out during the test. After being placed in handcuffs, officers say he asked to take the test again. Police say his initial test had a reading of 0.23% BAC, but a later test was listed as 0.211% BAC.

Rodriguez was charged with operating a motor vehicle under the influence and operating a motor vehicle with an expired operators license. He was booked into the Hopkins County Jail, but has since been released.

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