As reported, 51-year-old addiction counselor, Sherri Wilkins, was driving under the influence of controlled substance when she struck a pedestrian on Torrance Boulevard last November 24.
The pedestrian, who was identified as Phillip Moreno, 31, was knocked out of his shoes and was sent to the car’s windshield due to the strong impact of the collision. Subsequently, instead of stopping her vehicle, Wilkins continued driving for more than two miles with the bloodied, dying man lying on top of her windshield.
Wilkins only came to a stop when a concerned motorist swarmed her car at a traffic light and grabbed her keys. Shortly thereafter, she was arrested while Moreno was transported to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
Based on initial investigation, Wilkins was heading home after having a few drinks with friends at a bar near her office while Moreno was then crossing the street on his way home when the accident occurred.
Consequently, Wilkins is now facing charges of vehicular manslaughter and drunk driving after the investigation revealed that her blood alcohol level content was twice the legal limit. Also, police told media sources that they may likely add felony hit-and-run to Wilkins’ list of charges.
Incidentally, court records revealed that Wilkins was convicted for first-degree burglary in 1989 and in the following month, she was likewise convicted for having narcotics while in custody. In 1994, she was again convicted for burglary and was put behind bars for nine years. In 2001, she was further convicted for having a controlled substance while in jail until she was paroled in 2008, according to the California Department of Corrections.
Moreover, some two years later, Wilkins was again arrested for hit-and-run after she knocked a power pole which was then struck by three other cars. Nevertheless, the case was dismissed after she and the other driver reached a settlement agreement, according to a City Attorney, Patrick Sullivan.
Following the incident, Wilkin took to her MySpace account and admitted that she had been heavily using drugs way back in 2009 until she lost all her loved ones and her freedom in 2010. She further affirmed in her social media account that she has been drug free for eleven years. In fact, she already has a degree in drug and alcohol counseling and that she will be having her BA soon.
Apparently, that is some good news that she was over with her drug addiction days. However, it would not exclude her from all her liabilities from the fatal incident, a Los Angeles pedestrian accident lawyer said.
