A Florida woman is in hot water for vehicular homicide after killing a motorcyclist while drunk driving. If that wasn’t enough, she allegedly dragged the rider 403 feet before coming to a stop. Now, she is pleading not guilty to the crime. 

A 62-year-old Florida woman hit a motorcycle rider and dragged him 403 feet to his death

62-year-old Ann Killough had no business getting behind the wheel. Florida Highway Patrol police officers said she had the “strong odor” of alcohol when they pulled her from her BMW after her drunk driving debacle. But a ride to jail in handcuffs is a better outcome than an unfortunate motorcycle rider in her path earlier that night.

According to authorities in Pensacola Beach, Florida, Killough hit a motorcycle rider and failed to stop, dragging him nearly 1.5 times the distance of a regulation football field. “The defendant did not immediately stop and pushed (the motorcyclist) a distance of 403 feet before coming to a controlled stop,” per the Pensacola News Journal.  

The Florida woman even hit a curb and kept driving, taking the motorcyclist along with her. The victim was riding along with another motorcycle at the time. That rider told authorities that the driver approached from behind and made no effort to slow down before she “slammed” into the rider. 

The police arrived after Killough stopped her vehicle. In addition to the strong smell of booze, officers said the Florida woman exhibited many of the tell-tale signs of inebriation, namely glassy, bloodshot eyes and slurred speech. She admitted to having two drinks before getting behind the wheel and declined a standardized field sobriety test (SFST). It’s unclear what her blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was at the time.  

Now she’s pleading not guilty

Killough, despite the evidence and the words of the witness, pleaded not guilty to charges of vehicular homicide and DUI manslaughter. She’s facing up to 15 years in prison if convicted on both charges. 

Unfortunately, drunk driving is a serious threat on the Sunshine State’s roads. According to the University of West Florida, drunk driving deaths accounted for 27% of all traffic fatalities in the state in 2017. Worse yet, alcohol played a part in over 5,000 crashes that year.

So, what can you do? If you ride motorcycles, do your best to remain constantly vigilant and ride with a buddy. In the event of a wreck, a buddy can quickly alert the authorities, provide first aid, and remember details about hit-and-run drivers.

Better yet, some modern helmet-mounted Bluetooth systems incorporate crash detection that can alert the authorities when you have a crash. But most importantly, don’t drink and drive. More than your life depends on it.