A Brookline woman led Medfield Police on a high-speed chase Saturday that ended when her car struck a telephone pole in Westwood, knocking out power there for about three hours, authorities said.
Elizabeth Larkin, 51, of Brookline, was not arrested or charged, said Medfield Police Chief Robert Meaney. She was taken by Medflight helicopter to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where she was listed in good condition yesterday.
Medfield and Westwood Police, along with the Massachusetts State Police Crash Reconstruction Unit, are investigating. Charges are being considered, Meaney said.
The charges Larkin will likely face are driving to endanger, failing to observe marked lanes and failing to stop for a police officer.
About 7:46 a.m., Meaney said, police received a call about an erratic driver in a brown Toyota Camry. A police officer saw the car leaving the parking lot of Cumberland Farms at the intersection of routes 109 and 27, and attempted to pull it over. The driver stopped, pulled back into traffic and then stopped again near the intersection of Rte. 109 and North Street, according to police.
When an officer approached the Toyota, he could smell alcohol, and asked the driver to get out of the car for a sobriety test, Meaney said.
"The woman was obviously very angry and very upset," Meaney said. She swore and yelled at the officer, he said.
Chris Kalivas, owner of Superior Cleaners in Westwood, was stopped in his own car behind the Camry when police pulled it over. He said two police cars pulled up, with each officer approaching the Toyota from separate sides. The officer on the driver's side spoke with the woman, he said.
"You could see on his face he was frustrated," Kalivas said. He said the officer opened the driver's door to get the woman out of the car.
The driver, Kalivas said, pushed his hand away, slammed the car door shut again, and drove the car toward Westwood "really fast."
The Toyota ran two traffic lights before Kalivas lost sight of her, he said.
Meaney said Medfield Police chased the Toyota east into Westwood, during which the car reached speeds over 60 mph. During the chase, he said, the Toyota steered around cars, including a Westwood police car, and struck a utility pole, moving it a few inches and dislodging power lines. The pole didn't break, Meaney said.
When Kalivas passed the crash, just after the Sunoco station on Rte. 109 in Westwood, smoke was coming from the Toyota, he said. Meaney said the car was totaled.
NStar sent crews to the area and cut power to fix the lines, said Westwood Detective Paul Toland.
The rescue helicopter landed at Sheehan School in Westwood.
Meaney said Larkin was not wearing a seat belt and the impact knocked her into the passenger's side door. Meaney said police are waiting for more information from the hospital before they press charges.
