DUI Driver Charged in Major Injury Accident
Montecito—home to the mega-rich and to celebrities like Oprah Winfrey—is not a neighborhood where drivers speed or drive erratically. It’s just too beautiful, as every street feels like a tree-shaded country lane in the South of France; drivers move slowly to appreciate the sights and scents of…money.
Officers assist at the scene of the DUI accident
Such was not the case on the late afternoon of May 29th, when Montecito resident Martin Maguire, 51, got behind the wheel of his car under the influence of both alcohol and drugs, as reported by Santa Barbara Police Department spokesman Lt. Paul McCaffrey. According to Pfleging’s report to the media, Maguire’s 1994 Toyota 4Runner was traveling at a high rate of speed along Old Coast Highway, traveling along the scene drive past the lush fairways of The Montecito Country Club when he “crossed the double yellow line and barreled head-on” into a motorcycle being ridden by Canadian tourists.
The motorcycle riders, James Atwood, 63, and Ellen Atwood, 59—who had reportedly shipped their Harley-Davidson motorcycle to Santa Barbara from Ontario, Canada—were traveling in the company of another couple riding ahead of them. The lead motorcycle managed to avoid the collision, but the victims were struck on their left legs, generating serious injuries which, according to Pfleging, may ultimately involve amputations. Passersby at the scene came to the scene and provided aid, including tourniquets applied to stop profuse bleeding. Both victims were transported to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital where they remain in critical condition.
Maguire, pursuant to interviews at the accident scene, was taken into custody and arrested. He was transported to Santa Barbara County Jail where he remains on $100,000 bail.
Photo: Courtesy Noozhawk
Read more:
Noozhawk: Canadian Couple Remain in Critical Condition After Motorcycle Crash
Santa Barbara Independent: Motorcycling Couple Suffer Major Injuries in DUI Accident
