The driver who allegedly struck a Bayfield motorcyclist with their car on Aug. 16 was arrested Thursday night on vehicular assault charges.
The driver, identified as 46-year-old Inez Jernberg-Feely, was driving east on the 1500 block of Florida Road when she drifted into the oncoming lane hitting Otter Sliter, 34, on his motorcycle head-on.
After hitting the motorcyclist, her vehicle veered off the road and struck two other unoccupied vehicles before coming to a stop.
The Durango Police Department responded to the call just before midnight on Aug. 16, and Sliter was airlifted to CommonSpirit St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood with serious bodily injuries. As of Sunday, Sliter was in stable condition.
Jernberg-Feely was taken to the hospital for minor injuries. While being transported, officers noticed she smelled like alcohol, said DPD Cmdr. Jacob Dunlop. She also admitted drinking alcohol earlier that afternoon.
Initially, Durango police did not release Jernberg-Feely’s identity because it hadn’t formally arrested her on scene. DPD had been waiting for the results of a blood test to make a formal arrest.
However, DPD wanted to move quickly with filing charges because of the severity of Sliter’s injuries.
DPD decided it had enough probable cause to arrest Jernberg-Feely based on the on-scene investigation. Jernberg-Feely formally turned herself in on Thursday night.
Dunlop said part of the reason Durango police had not made a formal arrest earlier, despite having suspicion of alcohol consumption, was that DPD wanted Jernberg-Feely to receive medical treatment for her injuries.
Jernberg-Feely was charged with vehicular assault, a class four felony, operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and a lane use violation.
Sliter was supposed to get married this past weekend to his fiance Meridith Rich, and a GoFundMe page was started to help Sliter pay his medical bills. As of Sunday, the page has raised just over $27,000.
tbrown@durangoherald.com
