WOONSOCKET – A North Smithfield woman is facing a criminal charge after she allegedly knocked a 17-year-old off his electric bicycle and fled the scene.
Julie A. Darby, 33, of 121 Main St., was charged with leaving the scene of an accident involving a bicycle on Tuesday, Oct. 15. She surrendered two days later after the police issued a warrant for her arrest.
Witnesses told police Darby, operating a black Altima, appeared to be looking down at her cell phone before the crash at the intersection of Hamlet and Park Avenues at about 4:20 p.m. on Oct. 15.
Another motorist who had been driving behind Darby told Officer Tyler Violette that she was, “constantly looking down at her phone while driving,” the officer’s report says. The motorist observed Darby, “look down at her phone, look up and quickly turn right,” onto Hamlet Avenue before striking the front of the bicycle, which was in a marked crosswalk at the time.
The collision caused the bicycle to become lodged beneath the undercarriage of the Nissan, briefly preventing Darby from driving the vehicle. When she realized this, she allegedly put the vehicle in reverse until the bicycle was dislodged, then fled the scene.
The boy told police that he injured a finger in the crash, possible when his hand got caught between the bicycle and the vehicle. With the consent of a parent, he declined medical attention, however.
Police identified Darby as a suspect in the crash shortly after it happened. The teenager later made a positive identification of Darby as the driver of the Altima from a photo spread, and a warrant was obtained for her arrest, according to police reports.
5 years ?
5 years.