After Egan Drive wreck, police arrest intoxicated driver

A drink and car keys
(Creative Commons photo by James Palinsad)

A car driven by a 26-year-old woman, who police say was intoxicated at more than twice the legal limit to drive, crashed early Saturday morning.

Police identified the woman as Fuapauna Sua of Juneau and the car as a white 2014 Ford Fusion. According to a Juneau Police Department news release,  the driver was outbound when the vehicle went off the roadway near 1201 Egan Drive. The car hit a light pole and speed limit sign, the release said.

Sua was arrested for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, a class A misdemeanor.  Juneau police Sgt. Chris Gifford said that a preliminary police report did not indicate whether alcohol or some other substance was involved.

Gifford said tire marks were reported visible for about 500 feet. He said road conditions appeared dry, based off of pictures taken at the scene. The report did not indicate how fast the vehicle was traveling.

Police and Capitol City Fire/Rescue responded to the crash. Police said Sua was the only person in the vehicle.

Sua did not appear injured at the scene, according to police, but was transported to Bartlett Regional Medical Center for further evaluation.

“The first priority is the person’s well being. We want to make sure that they’re healthy and that any medical injuries or anything sustained as a result of that are seen to first,” Gifford said. “Second after that, then we address the issue of DWI. It’s standard. It’s a good decision to take someone to the hospital first before processing them.”

The vehicle sustained an estimated $10,000 in damages, according to the news release. The hood, bumper and grill were damaged in the incident. Gifford said the “passenger side was pretty damaged.” The vehicle was impounded.

Sua later provided a breath sample. Her breath-alcohol concentration was 0.163 percent, according to the release. The legal limit in Alaska is 0.08 percent.

Correction: A previous version of this story reported that the crash occured near Twin Lakes. The crash happened near 1201 Egan Drive. The story has been corrected to reflect the change.

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