A Charlottesville driver accused of hitting a construction worker Saturday morning in an Interstate 64 work zone has been granted bond, but she now faces a third charge.
Judge William G. Barkley ordered a $15,000 bond on Thursday morning for Vitalija Vasciunaite, who was originally charged with driving under the influence and hit-and-run in connection with the accident. According to Albemarle County Circuit Court records, authorities filed a charge on Thursday of maiming of a person while driving while intoxicated.
Virginia State Police have said Jose Porfirio Martinez was doing bridge repair work around 4:05 a.m. near the 103 mile marker for a Virginia Department of Transportation contracting firm. A 1999 Buick sedan hit him and fled the scene, authorities said, and Martinez was taken to the University of Virginia Medical Center with life-threatening injuries.
Denise Lunsford, commonwealth's attorney, said in court that the man suffered a broken leg and arm but the full extent of his injuries are unknown. He was expected to be released this week from the hospital.
The prosecutor said in court that Vasciunaite, whose blood-alcohol content was over the legal limit, told police she was on her way home from a party in Harrisonburg. Authorities have said the Buick's owner reported the vehicle damage to police when the car was returned.
David Heilberg, Vasciunaite's attorney, said in court that his client may have substance abuse issues and would be evaluated if she were released on bond. Heilberg said people who know his client, a native of Lithuania who attended the Miller School, said this behavior was out of character for her.
"She's a normal ... college student who did not know what she was doing," Heilberg said in court.
Vasciunaite was originally charged with driving while intoxicated as a second offense, but the charge has been changed to driving while intoxicated. Lunsford said in court that Vasciunaite doesn't appear to have a prior record.
The accident happened within a mile of the VDOT Workers Memorial, which honors highway transportation workers who died on the job. According to the state agency, eight workers were killed in work zones between 2004 and 2008 - four by motorists and four by construction equipment.
Vasciunaite is scheduled to have a preliminary hearing Aug. 26.
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