Police drone locates unconscious driver accused of drunken driving, running from Hingham crash

HINGHAM, Mass. — Police are crediting a department drone for locating an unconscious Quincy man who is accused of drunken driving and running away from a Lincoln Street crash early Saturday morning.

The 23-year-old man, whose name was not released because he was not arrested, will be summonsed to court on several charges, including driving under the influence of alcohol, leaving the scene of a crash causing property damage, negligent driving, speeding, and marked lanes violation, police said.

The unconscious man was found in a wooded area by a police drone after he allegedly ran away from the scene of a severe crash, police said. He was taken by ambulance to South Shore Hospital.

Around 4:23 a.m. Saturday, officers responded to a single vehicle crash on Lincoln Street. A witness told officers the driver had been alone in the SUV, police said. When the witness said he was going to call 911, the driver ran away.

A preliminary investigation found that the SUV, a 2020 Chevrolet Suburban, had been heading south at a high rate of speed on Lincoln Street near Route 169 when it drove off the road and struck a large tree, police said.

The severe impact caused the SUV to spin 180 degrees and stop near a utility pole on the opposite side of the road, police said. A tire and a portion of the axel fully detached and landed further in the road.

Officers noticed blood on the driver’s side airbag, police said.

Officers, in attempting to locate the driver, launched a police drone while K9 units from local and state police responded to assist.

As crews began to search, the police drone located a person lying face down in the wood line near Bremer Circle, police said.

Officers arrived and found the man was unconscious, police said. After a short time, they were able to wake him.

Officers noticed a strong odor of alcohol on the man and noticed that his eyes were glassy and bloodshot. Police said the man matched the description of the driver given by the witness, and police also found items in the Chevrolet Suburban with his name on them.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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