Mass. doctor charged over crash caught on video

Video shows SUV zooming out of parking lot, into cars on street

11/14/2012

WELLESLEY, Mass. — A one-time doctor of the year at a hospital near Boston has pleaded not guilty to driving drunk and under the influence of prescription drugs, which led to a scary crash.

Surveillance video released by police shows the car driven by Dr. Kristin Lynes Howard speeding from a supermarket parking lot, over a grassy median and onto a street, where it slammed into two other vehicles. A 78-year-old man required hospitalization.

The 56-year-old Howard was released on personal recognizance after pleading not guilty to a variety of charges Tuesday in connection Friday's crash in Wellesley.

Authorities say Howard prescribed herself drugs. Police say she told them her car had a mechanical malfunction.

A spokeswoman for Newton-Wellesley Hospital says Howard, an emergency medical physician, has been relieved for her duties.