Salem Lady Jumps Wakes, Boat Jumps Trees

It all happened in Salem, Mass. – you know, the place where they used to burn witches at the stake. Well, they are still having trouble with women, but this time they are flying on boats instead of broomsticks. One female Salem boater recently got in hot water after she was rescued from the cold water. It seems that she and her chum were jumping wakes, trying to catch big air with her center console, when both were thrown from the boat, which then raced to shore running 100’ inland and ending up in some trees 25’ above the water.

Caroline Driscoll and her lawyer as they faced the judge in court after the accident.

From the Salem News--

By Julie Manganis

Staff writer

SALEM — A Marblehead woman whose boat ended up in a tree in a Lafayette Street yard pleaded not guilty to drunken and unsafe boating charges yesterday.

Caroline Driscoll, 41, of 9 Ridge Road said nothing during a brief appearance in Salem District Court and was released on a $1,000 personal surety bond by Judge Robert Cornetta.

Driscoll, whose blood was taken at Salem Hospital shortly after the crash, could face the suspension of her driver's license if her blood alcohol level was .08 or above, but prosecutor Caleb Weiner said he did not yet have the result of the blood tests. He will be allowed to ask for a license suspension once the test results are available.

Driscoll and her passenger, Chad Megis, 33, were thrown from the boat while Driscoll was allegedly "wake jumping" near other boats, according to a witness.

That witness, Todd Huber, told police he had pulled the two from the water.

Driscoll's 24-foot boat continued on, however, eventually launching into the air and coming to rest some 100 feet inland and 25 feet up in some trees in the backyard of a home at 441 Lafayette St., according to a police report.

Police, including Salem Harbormaster Sgt. Peter Gifford, caught up with Driscoll in a boat at the dock at Osgood Park. Driscoll admitted to police that she had been the operator of the boat.

Gifford asked if she had had anything to drink, and she told him, "Just one, a Bloody Mary this morning. I don't know who made it," according to the police report.

She also told police and ambulance personnel that she was fine and didn't need any medical attention.

Gifford asked if she had had anything to drink, and she told him, "Just one, a Bloody Mary this morning. I don't know who made it," according to the police report.

Police asked her to step out of the boat and had her wait on a nearby bench for 15 minutes.

During that time, her husband shielded her face from police by having her put her face on his lap and chest.

When police asked her to perform some field sobriety tests, her husband spoke up and told officers he now believed she needed to be taken to a hospital for several bumps on her head.

Gifford told Driscoll to sit up, then got within a few inches of her and "could smell a very heavy odor of an alcoholic beverage. Her eyes were totally bloodshot and watery," the police report said.

At the Salem Hospital emergency room, police told Driscoll she was under arrest for operating a boat while under the influence of alcohol. Driscoll agreed to a blood test.

Driscoll's attorney, Randy Chapman, argued that the police report, which is part of the court file, should be sealed from public view, contending that the information contained in the report would prevent her from getting a fair trial and could prevent witnesses from cooperating. He also cited recently released guidelines issued by the Supreme Judicial Court concerning the release of personal information such as Social Security numbers and dates of birth, which are routinely included in case files.

A lawyer for The Salem News, Paige Scott Reed of the firm Prince, Lobel, Glovsky and Tye, argued that Chapman's assertions were speculative and failed to meet the high standard set by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court for determining potential harm in releasing the information.

Cornetta granted the request to seal Driscoll's personal information but allowed the release of the remainder of the police report.

Several people accompanying Driscoll to court yesterday attempted to shield her from a news camera, two of them standing directly in front of a video camera at one point as Driscoll walked to a microphone. Another person attempted to block the lens with a piece of paper as Driscoll walked out of the courtroom.

A pretrial hearing is scheduled for Sept. 10, but prosecutors could ask for a hearing sooner if they receive the blood test results in the interim.