Police: Man may have been on drugs when his car crashed
August 22,2012
BENNINGTON - Police said they suspect a local man was on drugs when he rolled his car over and crashed it in Pownal on Tuesday morning.
Frank E. Burdick, 33, of Bennington, was driving south on Route 7, in the area of Jackson Cross Road, before the crash occurred, according to a press release from Trooper James Wright, of the Vermont State Police barracks in Shaftsbury.
Wright said the crash was reported around 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday.
Burdick told police a deer ran out in front of him and he swerved to avoid it. Burdick’s 2002 Mercury Cougar drove off the road and collided with a rock ledge along the south shoulder of Route 7. The collision caused the vehicle to roll onto its roof and come to rest in the center of the southbound lane, Wright said.
The car is considered totaled after receiving extensive damage to the driver’s side, passenger side and roof.
No one else was involved in the crash.
Burdick was taken to the Southwestern Vermont Medical Center in Bennington to be treated for any possible injuries. Wright said that when he spoke with Burdick at the hospital, he noticed indications that Burdick may have been under the influence of a regulated drug while driving. Trooper Jesse Robson, a drug recognition expert, was called in to evaluate Burdick.
Wright said a decision about charges is pending until police receive the results of Burdick’s blood test.
