ER doc charged with DUI after crash

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WELLESLEY, Mass., Nov. 14 (UPI) -- A doctor told Massachusetts police she was out to buy a turkey when accelerator failure caused her to drive erratically in a parking lot and ram another car.

Dr. Kristin Howard, 56, was released on her own recognizance after she pleaded innocent to multiple charges including driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol and illegal possession of prescription pills, the Boston Herald reported Wednesday.

Police said Howard, an award-winning emergency room physician, tried to leave the scene of the accident and failed or refused to take sobriety tests. A report said her eyes were glassy and her speech slurred when officers arrived at the scene.

Video footage of the parking lot showed Howard's car whipping around, clipping a tree and then crashing into a car waiting at the intersection.

Police said the 78-year-old driver of that vehicle suffered broken ribs and spent two days in the hospital.

Officials at Newton-Wellesley Hospital said Howard was immediately relieved of all her hospital duties and an investigation is under way.

Howard is due back in court early next year.