BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — A woman was convicted of driving under the influence, running a stop sign, hitting a fence and telephone, and crashing her vehicle into a home. The crash left a couple and a toddler sleeping inside the home with severe injuries in 2022.
The Kern County District Attorney’s Office said a Kern County jury found Madison Williams guilty of driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury, driving with 0.08 percent blood alcohol causing injury, and causing a fire of an inhabited structure.
The jury found the additional allegations true that Williams caused great bodily injury to a child under 5 years old and to two adults, the child’s parents.
The DA’s office said on September 14, 2022, just after midnight, a mother, a father, and their 21-month-old child were asleep in their home located at the intersection of Old River and Taft Highway in Bakersfield.
Williams was driving, ran a stop sign, ran through a wooden fence, severed a telephone pole, and crashed her car into the bedroom of the home. The vehicle caught on fire, which ultimately burned the house to the ground.
Luckily, the family of three inside the home survived.
The 21-month-old child victim suffered serious injuries, including a skull fracture, vertebrae fracture, broken arm, and multiple broken ribs. The adult parents also suffered serious injuries, including numerous broken bones.
The DA’s office said when officers arrived, Williams had signs and symptoms of alcohol intoxication. Williams was arrested and a blood test showed her blood alcohol content to be over twice the legal limit at 0.186%.
District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer commented on the conviction, stating, “Drinking and driving presents one of the greatest threats to the Kern County community. Williams’ reckless behavior of driving with a blood alcohol level over twice the legal limit nearly killed a family sleeping in their home. This case was prosecuted by the Office of Traffic Safety Unit of the District Attorney’s who work exclusively to prosecute and combat impaired driving in Kern County.”
Williams’ sentencing is set for December 4, 2025, where she faces up to 16 years in prison.