Janesville, WI : Boy suffers head injuries in Janesville collision on Monday, August 29, 2016

A 13-year-old Janesville boy suffered serious head injuries when the bicycle he was riding collided with a full-sized pickup truck Saturday, according to police reports.

The truck's driver, Traci L. Churchill, 46, of 519 S. Blackhawk St., Janesville, was charged in Rock County Court on Monday with causing injury by intoxicated driving, a misdemeanor.

Churchill registered a 0.225 blood-alcohol concentration on a preliminary breath test, according to the criminal complaint. That's more than twice the legal limit.

Assistant District Attorney Scott Dirks said at Churchill's court hearing Monday that she was taking several prescription drugs that are not supposed to be taken with alcohol.

The medications are identified in the criminal complaint as the painkiller tramadol, anti-anxiety Xanax and shots of cortisone, an anti-inflammatory drug.

She told police she suffers from fibromyalgia and migraines, according to the complaint.

Dirks recommended that Churchill, who had been kept in jail over the weekend, be released on a signature bond, and Court Commissioner Larry Barton agreed.

The boy, Bradley R. Grzeca of 616 Milton Ave., Janesville, was taken to Mercy Hospital.

He was later flown to UW-Hospital in Madison with "substantial injuries" to his head, said Janesville police Lt. Charles Aagaard.

According to the criminal complaint, Churchill was driving north on Ringold Street at 4:01 p.m. and stopped at the stop sign at Memorial Drive near the Rock County Fairgrounds when a juvenile rode through the intersection on a bicycle at “very fast speed.”

Churchill said she stopped to avoid the bike and yelled at the boy to be careful, according to the complaint.

Churchill moved forward, and a second bicycle came through fast, and she didn't see it, resulting in the collision, according to the complaint.

The first boy told police he was riding fast to get somewhere because he and Grzeca had plans. The boy confirmed he nearly collided with the pickup truck and that the driver yelled at him, according to the complaint.

The boy “said he thought it was his entire fault because he was trying to ride so fast, and (Grezca) was trying to keep up with him,” the complaint states.

Churchill told police she had started drinking beer and vodka at noon at a residence and that she felt intoxicated, according the complaint.

Churchill tried to help Grzeca until emergency medical help arrived, according to the accident report, and she seemed very concerned for his welfare, according to the complaint.


Source :
Boy suffers head injuries in Janesville collision