State house candidate charged after car crash

Evading criminal responsibility in the name of politics is nothing new. State House candidate Christina Ayala, who won the democratic primary on Tuesday night in the 128th District is now facing serious criminal charges after she fled the scene of an accident with two minors. While it is unclear if she was trying to save her name or just evade responsibility, the politician now faces serious criminal penalties and could also be liable for any personal injuries to the driver of another vehicle.

A Bridgeport, Connecticut police report accident summary indicated that Ayala was driving a 2007 Nissan Sentra with a 13-year-old and 7-year-old when she struck another vehicle driven by a 26-year-old woman. Although no serious injuries have been reported, Ayala could face civil penalties, including personal injury lawsuits, if anyone was injured in the hit-and-run car collision.

According to police, Ayala fled the scene and was flagged down by a witness who saw the accident and pursued her vehicle. Police indicated that both cars had heavy front-end damage and had to be towed from the accident scene. Ayala was stopped 6 blocks away from the scene of the accident.

The House candidate has been charged with evading responsibility, failure to obey a traffic signal and failure to renew vehicle registration. She was released on a promise to appear in court. She offered a formal apology and stated that after the intersection collision, she panicked. She also claims that she left the scene of the accident because she was “scared.”

Source: Connecticut Post, “State house candidate Christina Ayala charged after crash,” Brian Lockhart and Frank Juliano, August 16, 2012.